U.S. Peace Corps' Julia Campbell Is Bludgeoned To Death: RP Police

Julia Campbell

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 21) – Philippine police on Saturday suspect that U.S. Peace Corps volunteer Julia Campbell may have been bludgeoned to death, bolstering earlier reports that she was murdered in Ifugao province, north of Manila.

Campbell was autopsied by Filipino authorities to determine the cause of her death. Government soldiers discovered the decomposing body of the 40-year old Campbell in a shallow grave in the mountain village of Batad in Banaue town.

Ifugao police chief Supt. Pedro Genir earlier said Campbell may have been murdered. “It is (a) homicide (case). The culprits even covered her body with earth and rocks to hide the crime,” he said.

Campbell, a former journalist, was missing since April 8 in Ifugao province where she intended to hike alone.

There are currently 137 Peace Corps Volunteers serving in the Philippines. More than 8,000 volunteers have served in the country since 1961, making it the second oldest Peace Corps program in the world.

Campbell, from Fairfax, Virginia, had served as a college teacher in Legazpi in southern Luzon since she began her Peace Corps service in the Philippines in March 2005. (Mindanao Examiner)

U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer Missing In North RP

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 13 Apr) – A U.S. Peace Corps volunteer has been reported missing in northern Philippines, where communist insurgents are actively operating.

The U.S. Embassy has confirmed the disappearance of Julia Campbell since April 8 and appealed for information about the 40-year old woman.

Campbell, it said, was last seen in Banaue town in the mountain province of Ifugao, where she intended to hike in a hilly area near Batad village, about 1.5 kilometers east of Banaue. She was alone.

The woman is described as Caucasian American with blonde hair, eyeglasses, 1.7 meters tall (5 feet, 7 inches) and weighing about 58 kilograms. She has served as a college teacher in Legazpi in southern Luzon since she began her Peace Corps service in the Philippines in March 2005.

“Anyone who has seen Ms. Campbell anytime after April 8, or who may have information on her movements or current location, should call Mr. John Borja, Safety and Security Officer of the Peace Corps - Philippines at 0920-900-5270, or contact the U.S. Embassy in Manila at (02)-528-6300,” a U.S. Embassy statement said.

There are currently 137 Peace Corps Volunteers serving in the Philippines. More than 8,000 volunteers have served in the country since 1961, making it the second oldest Peace Corps program in the world.

New People’s Army rebels are known to actively operate in northern Philippines and have previously threatened to attack U.S. targets in the country. It was unknown if the group has anything to do with her disappearance or if the woman was lost in the mountain. (Mindanao Examiner)