VALENCIA CITY, Bukidnon – A notorious ex-convict is now in police custody after confessing to the brutal killing and beheading of a 15-year-old Grade 9 student whose body was found in a sugarcane plantation in Barangay Dagat Kidavao, Valencia City, last week.
Police identified the suspect as Marlon Abdon Rosaot, a resident of Purok 6, Sinait, Dagat Kidavao. He voluntarily surrendered on January 10 through the mediation of local Indigenous leaders and admitted to killing Jennifer Encarnacion, a student of Buco Sinait Integrated School, two days before her body was discovered on January 8 in Purok Sinait.
The surrender was facilitated by members of the Indigenous community, including Datu Mario Mansaloon, after tribal leaders and bagani (tribal guards) coordinated efforts to locate Rosaot amid fears that he could strike again in nearby highland tribal domains.
“We worked together to find him because we were afraid that if he was not arrested, the same crime could happen in our communities,” Mansaloon said.
According to Police Colonel Oliver Sotto Navales, Provincial Director of the Bukidnon Police Provincial Office, several residents of Purok Sinait positively identified Rosaot as the person responsible for the crime. Navales confirmed that Rosaot is currently under the joint custody of the Valencia City Police Station and the Bukidnon Provincial Police Office.
The victim was reported missing two days before her lifeless and headless body was found in a sugarcane field, sparking fear and outrage among residents. Her grieving mother, Dina Encarnacion, confirmed that Jennifer was a Grade 9 student and had not returned home prior to the discovery of her body.
During a press conference, Atty. Heinz Villanueva, City Administrator of Valencia, revealed that Rosaot admitted in his extrajudicial confession that he had sexually assaulted the minor before killing her. This contradicted an earlier social media post by Vice Mayor Cecil Galario stating that the victim was not molested— a post that has since been taken down after autopsy findings and the suspect’s confession surfaced.
Authorities disclosed that Rosaot has a criminal past. He is an ex-convict who previously served nearly nine years in prison for arson. He was also previously implicated in the killing of a child in Lantapan, Bukidnon, and, according to former Valencia Mayor and current city consultant Jun M. Galario Jr., was involved in a gruesome case where a child of his former live-in partner was allegedly burned and killed.
“This suspect has a history of violent crimes. He is not new to the justice system,” Galario said.
Navales added that Rosaot will undergo drug testing and will be formally charged with appropriate criminal cases, including murder and other related offenses, in connection with the killing of the minor.
The suspect was presented to the media after his arrest, which was carried out through the combined efforts of tribal leaders, bagani, barangay tanods, police, and military personnel in the upland area of Buco Banlag, Valencia City.
As the community mourns the loss of young Jennifer, local officials and tribal leaders are calling for justice and stronger protection for children, particularly in rural and Indigenous communities.
“This is a painful reminder of the dangers our children face,” one local official said. “We will not stop until justice is fully served.”