(Photo from Twitter: @JBR10000)
MANILA – A headless body, believed to be those of Canadian John Ridsdel, was recovered in Talipao, Sulu early Wednesday morning.
The remains were found at the vicinity of Bud Samin, Barangay Gata, of the above-mentioned locality, said Western Mindanao Command spokesman Major Filemon Tan.
The body was recovered by joint elements of the Talipao Police and Special Action Force (SAF) with the help of Talipao Barangay Police Auxiliary Team.
Another report said that at 10 a.m. Wednesday, one Abejari Sahemari, a municipal councilor, reported to the Talipao police the discovery of a body of a Caucasian-looking man at Sitio Tibangaw in Barangay Gata.
Immediately, a police scene of the crime (SOCO) team accompanied by explosive ordinance disposal (EOD) personnel and two mobile teams were sent to the area.
The policemen reached the area, which is approximately 10 kilometers away from the Talipao Municipal Police Station, around 12 noon.
The body was found sprawled at a dried creek in the mountainous area of Sitio Tibangaw.
“The cadaver was dumped in the creek by… the ASG,” the report said.
The troops then secured the area for possible presence of the ASG bandits, while SOCO personnel processed the scene.
“There was no indication that the victim was beheaded in the area due to the absence of blood stains in the scene,” according to the report.
After the SOCO examination, the body was turned over to the Marine Battalion Landing Team 11 and was scheduled to the airlifted to Zamboanga City.
The recovery of the body came two days after the ASG beheaded Ridsdel as their ransom demand was not met.
The ASG demanded Php300 million ransom each for Ridsdel and his fellow captives Robert Hall, Hall’s Filipino girlfriend Marites Flor, and Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad.
The victims were seized by the ASG last Sept. 21 from Ocean View Resort on the Island Garden City of Samal, Davao Del Norte.