Missing schoolgirl, 15, found dead in sugarcane field as police suspect stepfather of murder

A schoolgirl missing for more than two weeks was found dead in a sugarcane field in the Philippines as police suspect her stepfather of murdering her.

Pearl Joy Galve, 15, went to class at the Sum-ag National High School, but never returned to her home in La Carlota City, Negros Occidental province, on July 29 afternoon.

Her family filed a missing persons report, and the school was placed on alert after Pearl's disappearance. However, police efforts to find the teenager yielded no results.

All hopes of finding Pearl alive were dashed when a sugarcane plantation worker discovered her corpse lying in a field of crops in La Carlota at around 8:30 am on August 14.

Police Captain Rosinie Cabuena, deputy police chief of the La Carlota Police, said: 'The girl's mother, aunt, and uncle came to the scene where the body was found. They confirmed her identity because the corpse had the same shorts and shoes the girl had been wearing when she vanished.'

Harrowing footage shows Pearl's devastated family emitting guttural wails upon seeing the girl lifeless among the tall stalks of sugarcane.

Pearl's body was already decaying and her hands were tied behind her back with duct tape. A piece of duct tape was also covering her mouth.

The girl's mum, Jennifer Galve, said her partner, Rene John Nasis, stormed out of their home on Sunday, August 11, and had not been seen since.

She said: 'We had a fight because he was jealous of me. I don't know if he killed my daughter.'

Warlito Rosareal, principal of Sum-ag National High School, said: 'We urge students to go home immediately after school. Teachers will be instructed to inform parents when their children are headed home through the class group chats.'

Police said Pearl's remains were undergoing DNA testing and a post-mortem examination.

The investigation is ongoing.