Story By: Ana Lacasa, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: CEN

Video Credit: CEN

A 29-year-old man has been arrested for sexually abusing and killing his 10-year-old niece after the girl’s body was reportedly found tied up in a house with signs of torture.

The incident took place in San Francisco in the city of Buenaventura in the western Colombian department of Valle del Cauca and main suspect Jhon Eduar Quintero Ortiz was arrested at his home where part of the rope used to tie the victim was found, according to reports.

His niece’s body was found tied to a column in a property close to the suspect’s residence after she went missing from her home at around 7pm.

Pictures Credit: CEN/@CamaraB_ventura & CEN

According to local media, the girl went to visit a nearby aunt but never arrived there and concerned family members reported her disappearance.

Diana Tatiana Rodriguez’s body was found the next day and it was confirmed that she had been sexually abused, according to prosecutors.

The10-year-old victim’s aunt Yesenia Quintero said: “The person who did this should pay for what she suffered”.

The victim’s grandmother Encarnacion Quintero said: “We went to look for Diana where she used to meet with her friends, but nobody had seen her.”

Buenaventura Mayor Maby Yineth Viera has reportedly offered a reward of 10 million COP (2,390 GBP) for anyone who comes forward with key information.

Meanwhile, local residents have staged a protest demanding justice for the young girl which was attended by at least 10,000 people, according to reports.

Over 1,200 children were murdered in Colombia between 2017 and 2018, according to the National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences.

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