Jealousy eyed motive for killing of Christine Silawan —NBI

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Wednesday said Christine Lee Silawan, the 16-year-old girl skinned and mutilated in Lapu-Lapu City, could have been killed out of jealousy.

"Sa ngayon, 'yun ang nakikita nating anggulo. Apparently jealousy talaga," NBI Region VII director Attorney Tomas Enrile told Dobol B sa News TV. A separate report on Balitanghali said the teenage suspect had already confessed to the crime, but Enrile said he did so without the assistance of a lawyer.

It was earlier reported that Christine's 17-year-old former boyfriend supposedly used a fake Facebook account to lure the victim into meeting him.

Investigators examined her Facebook messages and found out that the suspect had posed as another guy on Facebook and tried courting the victim, even tricking her into meeting him on March 10.

A CCTV camera was able to capture the meeting between Christine and the "new suitor," who  was actually her former lover.

According to Enrile, authorities are not yet terminating the investigation as they are still looking for two persons of interest, who the suspect implicated in the crime as his accomplices.

"We receive that information na parang may kasama ito. 'Yan ang focus ng follow-up operation natin kaya we are not closing yet the investigation of this case," Enrile said.

Investigators also believe that there was also an attempt to rape the teenager, whose body investigators found was missing its tongue, trachea, and esophagus.

"'Yung findings ng medico legal walang first laceration meaning hindi nagalaw. Kami naman parang ina-analyze namin bakit almost naked si Christine. There's a possibility na baka there was an attempt on the part of the suspect to rape her or sabihin natin gang rape kung may kasama," Enrile said.

He added that the suspect could be a drug addict.

A complaint for murder in relation to the Cybercrime Prevention Act has been filed against the suspect, who is now in the custody of the Department of Social Welfare and Development office in Cebu. — Anna Felicia Bajo/MDM, GMA News