Authorities confirmed on Monday that the suspect in the gory killing of 16-year-old Cristine Lee Silawan in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu has been arrested, even as his accomplices are now being hunted.
Central Visayas NBI Director Tomas Enrile said the suspect, said to be Silawan’s former boyfriend, was arrested in Maribago, Lapu-Lapu City on March 16.
“Yes, totoo po yun na nahuli na yung suspect sa pagpatay kay Christine Silawan,” Enrile said, adding that the killer had confessed to the crime.
Reports quoted the NBI regional director as saying that the boy committed the crime out of jealousy.
Enrile said security footage and text messages from Silawan helped track down the suspect whose name cannot be disclosed because he is a minor.
Meanwhile, Philippine National Police Col. Bernard Banac said that the Police Regional Office in Region 7 has confirmed that Silawan’s ex-boyfriend confessed to the crime.
“The joint investigating body has turned over the 17-year-old boy to the DSWD 7 for safe keeping since he is a minor while proper documentation of the case is under way,” he said.
Banac added that the Regional Crime Lab Office 7 has already directed to provide the Scene of the Crime Operations (SOCO) report and autopsy report, which is needed by the joint PNP-NBI investigating body.
“The NBI 7 with the support of the PNP will now consolidate the findings of the investigation to file the murder case against the suspects and ensure the immediate solution of the case,” Banac said
Silayan was found dead in a vacant lot in Barangay Bankal, Lapu-Lapu City with her face skinned to the skull, her body bearing 20 stab wounds and 10 defense wounds, and her tongue, trachea, and esophagus removed. She was naked from the waist down, but it remains unclear if she was also raped.
Authorities said the young girl may have been dead for 12 hours when she was found.
Earlier, the Justice Department earlier ordered the NBI to investigate and build up the case on the bloody murder of the high school student.
Banac said the police have intensified operations to hunt down the two other suspects.
“The PNP Central Visayas is reinforcing intensified operations with the NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) 7 to capture other suspects of the killing 16-year-old Christine Lee Silawan in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu after another person of interest surfaced and confessed his participation in the commission of the said gruesome crime,” Banac said in a statement. With PNA