They Said Don't Google Her Name The Case Was So Brutal

We spoke in the vibrant setting of Lapu-Lapu City in the Philippines. Mactan, a tranquil village, acts as a respite from the city's frenetic pace. This little Sanctuary was the unassuming place.

Christine Lee Silowenz passed away on March 9th, 2019. Unaware of the impending disaster, the 16-year-old decided to meet a love interest. The next day, after a truly heinous act of violence, Christine's lifeless and damaged body was discovered, the peace was shattered. The crime was so horrible that it provoked global condemnation and calls to reinstate the death penalty. What happened to Christine that night was truly horrific, and even though the legal system declared the case closed, the community remains unsettled and dissatisfied.

Many people believe that true justice has not been done and that the perpetrators remain at large. Christine Lee Salawan, a student at Maribago National High School, enjoys watching anime and listening to the K-pop band BTS, as do many other young people today. She also volunteered at her local church, the Sacred Heart Parish, every Sunday as a collector, leaving her house at 4 p.m. each Sunday and returning after the service was done.

Christine failed to return home by 7 p.m. on March 9, 2019, breaking with tradition. This unexpected detour disturbed her mother, Lourdes Silurian. This was uncharacteristic of her. Christine's family immediately alerted the Philippine national police, or PMP, and the search for her began. In the early morning light, Lourdes began her desperate search for her missing daughter. Her first stop was at the Sacred Heart Parish, the last known location of Christine. Lourdes discovered confirmation of her daughter's attendance and duties while going over the church's logbook.

She had undoubtedly arrived the night before. Conversations with churchgoers who had seen Christine recently resulted in a stunning revelation when she adjusted the offering after mass and finished her collection. Witnesses reported seeing Christine with free, unknown men, which added to the mystery surrounding her look. After the horrible discovery of a partially clothed body of a young female in an empty field near Christine's home that same morning, the tranquil community was suddenly battling with a nightmare that was all too real.

A young woman was spotted in a horrible predicament wearing almost little clothing from the waist down, with her pants dropped. She'd been mangled, and half her face was missing, revealing the skull beneath. The scene was so disturbing that no one in the area recognized the victim who was reacting so quickly. They called the cops when they arrived. The detectives were struck by the victim's obvious stab wounds, which served as a harsh reminder of the terrible violence inflicted on her; her body was transported for a more thorough investigation.

After half of the victim's face was partially destroyed by acid and carefully scraped away with a precision tool, the medical examiner ruled out the possibility of an animal attack. The assault was taken to new heights when it was discovered that the perpetrator had removed the victim's stomach, esophagus, part of her neck, and tongue, and the forensic team also established that Christine was not forced upon. The examiners proposed two explanations for such a heinous act: it was ritualistic, or the perpetrator was under the influence of mind-altering substances and was enraged by the removal of body parts, which was thought to be an attempt to obstruct the identification of the body.

A family member recognizes the remains, and the awful confirmation comes fast. Christine's body was found. The bombshell revelation sent shockwaves not just through Mactan, but also throughout the country, the heinous nature of the crime left the country reeling and the collective conscience begging for answers. The government offered a $200,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. The public outpouring of rage was so powerful that it prompted the National Bureau of Investigation, or NBI, to investigate the case, bolstering the efforts of local authorities whose cry for justice was heard across the country.

The sequence of events was sadly clear. Christine had been dumped after being persuaded into murder. The NBI used its resources to find CCTV footage that monitored Christine's movements, and the manhunt began shortly after. With this new information, investigators claimed that they were hunting for three male suspects, maybe the same individuals who were seen in Christine's company. On that crucial Sunday, Christine was murdered between the hours of 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. on March 10, 2019, according to officials. A guy named Jonas Martel Bueno was arrested in connection with the murder of a 62-year-old farmer in City Cebu denial, according to the police investigation. Despite his denial of any role in Christine's death, his name was revealed.

Bueno was one of the suspects in the heinous murder and skinning of an old man. However, when authorities eventually caught him. He was residing on an entirely different island under a different alias. Bueno acknowledged to the farmer's murder but maintained his innocence in Christine's case, citing an alibi that proved to be correct. His employer eventually confirmed his alibi, stating that Bueno was working on a construction site on the day Christine was tragically killed. The case took a difficult turn with the appearance of the second defendant, a boy named John, who is claimed to have been identified in the CCTV footage.

John had a romantic relationship with Christine. The couple had reportedly separated just days before the incident, and his identity has been suppressed for legal reasons.

According to the NBI, John admitted to carrying out the horrible act out of envy, and he even admitted to having accomplices. Christine is spotted on CCTV with a male, and she appears to be arguing with him in one film. Based on their research, the NBI established that the man in the frame was Christine's ex-boyfriend John. Authorities searched John's home and took his cellphone and other evidence that could be used to link him to Christine's death. According to the NBI, John created a bogus Facebook account to attract Christine for a rendezvous that evening, and he acknowledged to abandoning the murder. as a weapon, a collection of knives Despite mounting evidence, the case remained unsolved.

The NBI claims that John received a psychological test, which proved that he was aware of his actions at the time of Christine's murder. As a result, John's family enlisted the help of attorney Vincent Israel. Vincent filed a motion for John's release on March 21st, stating that the NBI lacked legal grounds for the arrest and that the confession appeared fabricated, even hinting that the NBI planted evidence. The lawyer challenged the authorities to demonstrate definitively that the person seen on Christine's CCTV film was really his client John.

The prosecutor's office expressed displeasure with the NBI's handling of the case, criticizing John's arrest in the absence of sufficient proof. Meanwhile, the NBI and the FBI launched separate investigations.

The results of the local police were disparate. When John was released, his family was relieved, but Christine's family was devastated. Four days after John was laid to rest, the Philippines' president asked that he be re-arrested. However, his lawyer intervened swiftly. Keep in mind that the documentation show that the release could not be reversed. On April 2nd, 2019, a second autopsy was performed on Christine's body, and the medical examiner hired by the public defender's office concluded, contrary to the previous autopsy, that the young girl had been forced upon.

This was based on blood found in her genitals. He won after the first autopsy revealed that acid had disfigured half of Christine's face, as well as over 20 other areas of her body.

A month after John was detained, Renato Yanez, 43, was arrested for an unrelated offense. However, while being held by police, he astonished them by making an unexpected confession. Yanez admitted that guilt drove him to confess, stating that he was the actual perpetrator of the crime and that his motivation was his substance addiction, alleging that John had been wrongfully accused. Yanez admitted that guilt drove him to confess, stating that he was the actual perpetrator of the crime and that his motivation was his substance addiction, alleging that John had been wrongfully accused.

Yanez admitted to going in and out of prison on narcotics offenses several months ago. He said he called Christine at 6 p.m. when she was outside.

Yanez acknowledged to approaching Christine about establishing an intimate relationship, but she declined. He was irritated by Christina's remark and slapped her twice. Christine stated that she was no longer a virgin, which incensed Yanez, who continuously beat her but confessed that he stabbed her until she slumped to the ground since it was too loud to cover her screams. He then attempted to undress her but was obliged to stop when her body remained motionless. He admits to skinning Christina's face in order to prevent anyone from identifying her in this final terrible act. Yanez stated that he acted alone, saying that Jon was uninvolved and should be assumed innocent, but the authorities didn't appear to be interested in John by that point.

Christine's family, on the other hand, felt severely wronged. Christine's mother, Lourdes, indicated that she would not sign the affidavit unless the complaint included the ex-boyfriend of her daughter. She couldn't agree to the terms because the police had little evidence against John, and she was persuaded that John was also responsible for her daughter's tragic death. According to John's attorney, "I respect Mrs. Siloam's refusal to sign the complaint unless my client is included in the case," but "I hope she understands that by refusing, she is refusing justice for her daughter."

It's unfortunate that everyone, including my client, wants justice for Christine, but her mother refuses to allow it. It's difficult to grasp the levels of grief that Christine's mother is experiencing.