• 2007.04.24: April 24, 2007: Headlines: COS - Philippines: Safety: Journalism: Crime: Murder: Philippines Information Agency: President Arroyo pushes for swift justice for Campbell's death  Tuesday, April 24, 2007 - 8:34 am [1]

• 2007.04.19: April 19, 2007: Headlines: COS - Philippines: Safety: Journalism: Crime: GMA TV: President Arroyo vows 'full cooperation' with US in Campbell probe  Tuesday, May 01, 2007 - 11:08 am [7]

• 2007.04.18: April 18, 2007: Headlines: COS - Philippines: Safety: Journalism: Directors - Tschetter: Yahoo News: Director Ronald A. Tschetter speaks with Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo at the presidential palace in Manila  Thursday, May 24, 2007 - 10:49 am [4]

• 2007.04.18: April 18, 2007: Headlines: COS - Philippines: Safety: Journalism: Peace Corps press Release: Peace Corps Mourns the Loss of Volunteer Julia Campbell  Thursday, April 19, 2007 - 2:18 pm [5]

• 2007.04.18: April 18, 2007: Headlines: COS - Philippines: Safety: Journalism: Crime: The Guardian: Philippine soldiers found the body of a missing Peace Corps volunteer in a shallow grave in a mountainous northern town where she disappeared while hiking, an army spokesman said  Thursday, April 26, 2007 - 1:02 pm [19]

Manila Says Peace Corps Worker Is Dead



A body believed to be that of an American Peace Corps volunteer who had been missing since last week was found today in a mountainous province in the north of the Philippines, officials said. There has been no confirmation, however, whether the corpse was Julia Campbell, from Fairfax, Virginia, who was last seen on April 8 about to go hiking in Ifugao, a province 160 miles north of Manila that is famous for its rice terraces. The Peace Corps reported her missing after she missed appointments on April 11. The United States embassy in Manila could not confirm details apart from the fact that “a body has been found.” Filipino and American authorities “are working jointly to determine identification and circumstances of death,” said Matthew Lussenhop, the embassy spokesman. Police said the body, which was found near a creek, was buried, a foot protruding from the ground. Mr. Gonzales was quoted in other reports today as suggesting that foul play was involved. “It appears that something undesirable happened. Who buried her?” he told the Philippine Daily Inquirer. “At this point, there are indications that we have to go deeper. We can’t determine if it was an accident or a crime.”

Manila Says Peace Corps Worker Is Dead

Manila Says Peace Corps Worker Is Dead

By CARLOS H. CONDE

Published: April 18, 2007

MANILA, April 18 — A body believed to be that of an American Peace Corps volunteer who had been missing since last week was found today in a mountainous province in the north of the Philippines, officials said.

There has been no confirmation, however, whether the corpse was Julia Campbell, from Fairfax, Virginia, who was last seen on April 8 about to go hiking in Ifugao, a province 160 miles north of Manila that is famous for its rice terraces.

The Peace Corps reported her missing after she missed appointments on April 11.

The United States embassy in Manila could not confirm details apart from the fact that “a body has been found.” Filipino and American authorities “are working jointly to determine identification and circumstances of death,” said Matthew Lussenhop, the embassy spokesman.

Police said the body, which was found near a creek, was buried, a foot protruding from the ground.

Raul Gonzales, a police commander in the northern Philippines, told Reuters that the body was fair-skinned and that it was clad in clothes that were similar to the ones Ms. Campbell wore when she was last seen.

Mr. Gonzales was quoted in other reports today as suggesting that foul play was involved. “It appears that something undesirable happened. Who buried her?” he told the Philippine Daily Inquirer. “At this point, there are indications that we have to go deeper. We can’t determine if it was an accident or a crime.”

According to the embassy, Ms. Campbell had planned to go hiking alone in Batad, a village in Ifugao province where tourists usually go to view the centuries-old rice terraces.

Ifugao police have said that Ms. Campbell was last seen by Batad locals disembarking from a tricycle.

“She liked the outdoors. She liked going around. She could speak fluent Tagalog,” Mr. Lussenhop said.

Ms. Campbell, 40, is one of the 137 Peace Corps volunteers assigned in the Philippines. In 2005, she quit her job as a freelance journalist in New York, where she had done some freelance reporting for The New York Times, and volunteered for the Peace Corps.

In the Philippines, she was assigned to Sorsogon, a province southeast of Manila, helping poor communities conserve their marine resources and teaching as well at the public school.

In October 2006, she was transferred to nearby Legazpi City, where she taught at the Divine Word College.

A month after her move, typhoon Durian struck that part of the Philippines, loosening mud and debris from a volcano and killing more than 500 people. Ms. Campbell was involved in the relief operations in her village as well as in helping the children later cope with the trauma of the disaster.

In her blog, juliainthephilippines.blogspot.com, Ms. Campbell recalled that tragedy. “For a few minutes there, as the flood waters rushed inside my little apartment on Marquez Street, I wondered, ‘Is this the way it’s going to be?’ I’ll drown right here inside my tiny apartment far away from my family and friends?” She went on to report the disaster for CNN.

Ms. Campbell had fun in the villages she visited. In a blog entry last year, she wrote about a prom that she and the local girls attended.

“Last night I went to the prom,” she wrote. “It’s been a long time in the waiting, since I didn’t attend my senior prom in high school. But at the age of 39 (yes!), I got dolled up in a black dress and heels and rode a tricycle to the ball.”

Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: April, 2007; Peace Corps Philippines; Directory of Philippines RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Philippines RPCVs; Safety and Security of Volunteers; Journalism; Crime

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The Peace Corps Library The Peace Corps Library is now available online with over 40,000 index entries in 500 categories. Looking for a Returned Volunteer? Check our RPCV Directory or leave a message on our Bulletin Board. New: Sign up to receive our free Monthly Magazine by email, research the History of the Peace Corps, or sign up for a daily news summary of Peace Corps stories. FAQ: Visit our FAQ for more information about PCOL.

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