By Johnnie Rosario
(Yigo, Guam) Kandit Wednesday morning received information from the family of a young girl, who was raped, that pointed to a suspect seen on a surveillance camera from the store, where the girl was abducted, then raped.
At the time of the news, the man's identity and whereabouts were unknown. Thanks to the several helpful citizens from Dededo, many of them members of the Chuukese community who wished to help in finding the truth on behalf of the victim, the man in the picture posted was identified, and his possible whereabouts given. Kandit turned that information over to police throughout the day.
Police were able to locate and interview this man, according to his family members.
The man was identified by the victim to the police, according to her family members.
The rape occurred Monday evening. Around 8:20 p.m. that day, the girl exited Papa's store in Dededo and was abducted by men to the left of the building. They dragged her into a nearby area of overgrown vegetation, where these men often loiter and drink, according to family members and neighbors.
One man raped her before the girl was able to run away from the rest. She ran across the street toward her home, two men chasing her. According to a neighbor, surveillance footage facing out from the girl's home caught the chase; the girl was naked and running for her life.
The police were called immediately and the girl was taken to Guam Memorial Hospital.
The authorities who were caring for the girl called in for qualified personnel to retrieve specimen from underneath the girl's fingernails and to perform a rape kit that night.
The girl then reviewed surveillance footage of the store with police, according to family members.
Kandit understands the outrage of residents, and the call for immediate judgment, however, we must remind our readers that an investigation is underway, DNA samples take time to confirm, and people accused of crimes are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
We caution against vigilante justice and the rush to immediate judgment for or against this man, especially before DNA testing is conducted. Sometimes samples have to be sent off island, which exacerbates the wait during the investigation for any arrests.
What we are thankful for is the concern for this girl and that the man whose identity and whereabouts were unknown yesterday morning was - according to his family members - found and interviewed by police.
We will continue to follow this story and provide updates as they are available.
She was very brave despite what she had just gone through.