PNP said killing of 16-year-old girl ” solved” but case not ” closed”

March 19, 2019

The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Tuesday said the killing of a teenager in Cebu is “solved but not yet closed”.

Senior Superintendent Bernard Banac, PNP spokesman, said in a press briefing said they support the investigation by the National Bureau of Investigation in the central Visayas region.

NBI filed murder charges against the suspect who is the victim’s alleged boyfriend who was arrested on Monday.

Banac said there are still two suspects and the NBI is looking for them.

“We are looking at the immediate solving of this case and we can now say that the murder case is solved but not yet closed,” he said.

Now that the NBI is the lead agency, Banac said the PNP and NBI will have a joint investigation body.

“We are ready to give all the records we have to the NBI Region Office 7,” he said.

Banac said authorities were able to trace the suspect after they recovered a conversation between him and the victim. They also have studied CCTV footage.

The 17-year-old suspect is under the custody of the regional Department of Social Welfare and Development.

The boy allegedly killed 16-year-old Christine Silawan who was found dead in a vacant lot in Lapu Lapu City where half of the face was skinned and some internal organs were removed because of jealousy.

“Based on the statement of NBI, they acquired an information that this is a crime of passion,” said Banac.

Banac said a report about the arrest of a certain Jonas Bueno in Davao City did not come from the Special Investigation Task Group assigned to the case.

“About the release of the name and picture of a person suspected in other crimes, the SITG did not release the information,” said Banac.

“The only similarity is how he conducted his crime… now he is removed as one of the suspects and will face his own crimes” he added.

Banac said they are still investigating all possibilities such as involvement of illegal drugs or if the suspect is a member of a cult which they first announced. Ella Dionisio/DMS