Kian, Carl, Reynaldo were murdered: PAO forensic analyst

MANILA - Slain teenagers Kian delos Santos, Carl Arnaiz, and Reynaldo De Guzman were all murdered, a forensic analyst from the Public Attorney's Office said Monday.

Dr. Erwin Erfe said apart from the boys' ages being in the same range, another similarity among them was that they were "defenseless" when they were killed.

"That’s very obvious in our findings," he told ANC's Headstart.

Delos Santos, 17, was killed in a drug sweep by Caloocan police last month after allegedly resisting arrest. Witnesses say, however, he did not fight back and that he was no drug courier as the cops allege.

Arnaiz, 19, was also killed in a shootout with police in Caloocan City after allegedly attempting to rob a taxi driver.

The University of the Philippines dropout supposedly left their home in Cainta, Rizal on August 17 with 14-year-old De Guzman.

De Guzman's body was found floating in a creek in Gapan, Nueva Ecija last week, his head wrapped in packing tape and body inflicted by dozens of stab wounds. He was later transferred to a morgue, which his parents located the following day.

Erfe said while Delos Santos' death may have been connected to the police force's anti-drug drive, Arnaiz and De Guzman's were separate, but nor were they a simple case of a robbery-hold-up.