A 17-year-old girl in Lapu-Lapu City, Philippines was found dead after she was brutally raped and had the skin peeled from half of her face in a horrific attack that took place on March 11.

Christine Lee Silawan disappeared after she attended church on March 10 evening. Her body was found the next day in an empty lot. Lyno Pino, a police officer with the local law enforcement, told a local media outlet that the teen was found in the lot half naked and lying lifeless.

Dan Gascosgacos, the lead investigator in the case, identified the teen as Christine Silawan. The teen is reportedly from Mactan Island, Lapu-Lapu City, and is said to have been a collector in the Sacred Heart Parish Church in Pajac close by, the Daily Mail reported.

Pino also said that the student from Maribago High School went to the church and attended the 6 pm mass. Shortly after the mass ended, however, the teen went missing. Her body was found on March 11 morning in a two-hectare empty property that lies about 500 meters away from the nearest residential area. Pino said that the motive for the gruesome crime has still not been established.

He also added that the authorities are now looking into the CCTV footage of the church to see who the teen was with in the hours before her death.

Lapu-Lapu City police director, Police Colonel Lemuel Obon, said: "She was brutally killed. Police are investigating all motives about whether the young victim was the subject of an unprovoked attack and if the suspects were under the influence of drugs. We have never seen such a brutal crime before. It could also be a ritual to remove the skin from the face."

He continued: "The mother of the girl identified her from her clothes. She was part of a church ministry as a church collector. She asked permission from her mother yesterday (Sunday) that she would go to church but she was not able to go home since then.”

Obon also said that the authorities are currently looking for three men who are suspected to be the ones behind the horrifying murder. He added: "We have witnesses who said that the girl was last seen alive with three men. We are tracing their identities."

After the teen died in such a gruesome way, her friends have paid tribute to the "beautiful, clever" girl. Haring Joseph said: "Rest in peace, my friend and my condolences to all of your family. May the police find whoever did this."