Tonight, police say that the suspect in the brutal murder of San Pedro, Columbia elder Agripina Coc, is still at large. The manhunt for the suspected killer continues, with villagers and Police fully engaged, but with no success. Residents believe that the man who slashed and allegedly raped the elderly woman is from the same village, and they believe he is hiding out in the bushes around the community. Coc was laid to rest by her family this morning, but the anger and grief at her passing will allow no peace in the small village. Our News Five team has been following this story from the weekend, and we’ve obtained some exclusive videos which are a testament to the fury and wrath of villagers who demand justice, one way or the other.
Mike Rudon, Reporting
Since Sunday residents of San Pedro, Columbia have been scouring the bushes, searching for the man who they believe murdered sixty-one year old Agripina Coc. They will not rest until there is justice. That justice won’t be easy on the man being hunted.
Resident of San Pedro, Columbia
“That is why we must discipline our children. Shame on our parents, shame in our community. It could have been our mother”
Oscar Requeña, Area Representative, Toledo West
“We know the difficulty that the family is going through and I share the same view that just like how it could have been that innocent lady, it could have been our mother, it could have been a friend, it could have been any one of wert ha they could have hurt. So none of us can say that that will not happen to us and I am happy that the community is out here to take a stand. All I want to say is that I understands and I can appreciate how you feel . There is a level of anger and the emotional re high but what we need to do is that we need to make sure that we stay together. And whatever we do we do it in the confines of the law to make sure that this person is arrested and that the police can do their investigation and hopefully bring this situation to justice.”
But even as there was talk of law and order, there was talk of justice. Armed with resolve, sticks, batons and machetes, residents marched on the home of the suspect on Monday night, determined to take his family members into custody, one by one, starting with his brother.
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Then they went after the suspect’s second brother.
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The anger of the residents was chilling to watch, as they sought to dispense village justice. The Police attempted intervention, but in the face of a united community which wasn’t backing down, law and order took a back seat.
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Family members of the suspect were locked down under the care of the village alcaldes pending questions, while village residents gathered en masse to continue the search for Agripina Coc’s killer. Mike Rudon reporting for News Five.
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