Police on Sunday reported that a body of a 17-year-old girl was found floating in the Pasig River in Barangay 275, San Nicolas last Saturday morning.

According to PSMS Paul John dela Fuente, a duty investigator at the Del Pan Police Station, authorities received a call from the Philippine Coast Guard around 11 a.m. regarding a body floating in the river near the Philippine Ports Authority’s docking area.

“It was discovered by a tugboat that pulls barges and boats around the area,” Dela Fuente said. “With the help of the Coast Guard, they towed the body to the shore of Del Pan... that’s where the body of the child was recovered.”

The body was bloated, suggesting it had been in the water for some time, Dela Fuente said. Police are working to determine how long the victim was in the water to better understand the circumstances of her death.

The victim was positively identified by her parents. Her mother — identified as Beverly Pepito — said she last saw her daughter on Thursday afternoon sitting in a tricycle with her boyfriend, a common hangout spot for the couple.

“I saw her in the afternoon, here on the side of Pedro, she was sitting. I told her to come home because she was dirty,” Pepito said. “She said, ‘Ma, I don’t want to go home because I’m still waiting for my boyfriend.’ I looked for her yesterday morning, but I couldn’t find her anymore.”

According to CCTV footage from Barangay 284, the victim’s boyfriend left her in the tricycle around 6 a.m. on Friday. An hour later, the victim was seen leaving the tricycle and did not return. The boyfriend’s sibling said the couple had slept there the night before.

Pepito said some residents noticed a man on a bicycle who often approached her daughter and gave her money. She hopes this man will be the key to solving what happened to her.

“We are asking for justice,” she said. “I hope someone saw that man on the bike who was giving her money. To my daughter, wherever you are, we are still thinking of you. We never thought this would happen to you. We love you very much.”

Dela Fuente said there were no visible signs of injury on the victim, but a full autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death. He also noted that the victim’s parents told police she had a history of epilepsy, which may have contributed to her falling into the water.