Police have arrested a 19-year-old woman after she was identified by investigators as the mother of the newborn baby boy who was found lifeless and unclothed at a creek in Barangay Looc, Jagna town early on Tuesday.

The woman, identified as Roselle Salvalon, a resident of Barangay Looc, Jagna admitted to being the mother of the abandoned newborn. She will be facing an infanticide case, said Staff Sgt. Jonalyn Llemit of the Jagna Police Station’s Women’s and Children’s Protection Desk.

Salvalon was brought in for questioning by police at the town’s Rural Health Unit (RHU) after a resident of Barangay Looc told investigating authorities that there was only one known pregnant woman in their village.

She was placed under arrest at past 8 a.m. after her admission of throwing the newborn into the creek, during an interview with authorities and a doctor at the RHU.

“Naay nakatudlo namo na neighbor niya [Salvalon] nakahibaw na buntis ni siya. Gi adto namo siya sa ilang balay unya among nakita na ang iyang tiyan is gamay na. Di na g’yud siya buntis…makita g’yud nimo sa iyang naw’ng na guilty, nangluspad,” Llemit said.

Salvalon, in her defense, said that she gave birth to a stillborn baby.

According to Lllemet, Salvalon claimed that she went into labor on her own at her house’s bathroom at past 12 a.m. on Tuesday and threw away the remains into the creek at 3 a.m.

Salvalon was with her live-in partner inside their home when she gave birth, but she said that he was asleep.

Llemet said that it will be up to health authorities to determine if there was foul play behind the newborn’s death.

“Ang iyang allegation is patay na ang bata daan paggawas. Pero ang doctor ra puy makasulti ana kung patay ba g’yud daan ang bata,” she added.

Police however are suspecting that the newborn was intentionally killed as the baby was found with a wound on the right side of his face and nylon was tied around his left leg.

According to Llemet, Salvalon’s live-in partner denied having knowledge on the incident. (Allen Doydora)