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Human remains found in seminary

Woman and two children went missing in 2002
Human remains found in seminary
Published: February 04, 2013 08:44 AM GMT
Updated: February 03, 2013 09:20 PM GMT

Police said on Monday that the remains of three people found in a seminary compound in East Nusa Tenggara belong to a woman and her two children who went missing more than a decade ago.

The skeletons of the woman and the two children were discovered last month buried beneath the Spiritual Orientation Year School, operated by the St Peter Major Seminary in the province’s Sikka district. 

Police said that DNA testing has indentified the adult skeleton as that of Yosefin Kerodok Payong and the two infant skeletons as those of her twin children.

Yosefin was reported missing in 2002.

Authorities on Sunday delivered the remains to family members for burial.

A source in the district who asked not to be named told ucanews.com that Yosefin was a former nun of the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy Spirit, whose spiritual name after taking her vows was Merry Grace.

Neither the congregation nor the St Peter Major Seminary were available for comment on the police’s identification of the remains.

District police chief Budi Hermawan said a full investigation into the cause of death would be conducted. 

“I ask all parties to help police in investigating this case,” he said in an interview with Flores Pos, a publication owned by the Society of the Divine Word.

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