A little boy who was singing Christmas carols from door to door along Cristobal St. in Sta. Mesa, Manila has gone missing.
According to a report by GMA's 24 Oras weekend, CCTVs in the area managed to capture footage of the female suspect approaching the missing boy and his two friends at around 6 p.m. on Friday, December 16.
One of his friends, hiding behind the alias 'Lian', told the news program that the suspect approached them to ask if they were siblings who were "carolling" and, if so, she can help them by accompanying them to a big house nearby.
The suspect asked the two young girls to buy ice cream...When they came back, their playmate and the woman were nowhere to be found.
The three playmates followed the unknown adult. CCTV managed to record them crossing the street. Moments later, the suspect asked the two young girls to buy ice cream from a nearby convenience store and instructed the boy, who was later on identified as John Ren Manzano, to stay behind. The two girls did as they were told. When they came back, their playmate and the woman were nowhere to be found.
'Lian' recounted how kids in the area witnessed John Ren boarding a jeep with the unknown woman. The suspect, they later found, was a known kidnapper in the Sampaloc, Manila area, whose photo had been going viral on Facebook. When shown the photo, 'Lian' confirmed that she was the one who abducted her playmate.
The suspect, they later found, was a known kidnapper in the Sampaloc, Manila area, whose photo had been going viral on Facebook.
John Ren's mother, Aileen Cansino, pleaded with her son's captors to return him home safely. "Mahal na mahal siya...kung may puso ka ibalik mo yung anak ko," the devastated mom wept in an interview with the news program.
Authorities are now pursuing their lead and are hoping to return the boy safely home to his family for the holidays.
You can watch the full report below.
Parents should be cautious especially during the holidays. Don't let your kids go carolling unchaperoned, specifically at night.
READ: BE WARNED: Online BF convinces yaya to kidnap baby; tracked via Uber
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