KUALA LUMPUR – Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matiin, the 6-year-old autistic boy who was found dead last night, is believed to have been murdered at a different location around 48 hours before his body was discovered.
Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain, said that post-mortem results indicate that Zayn Rayyan had died due to asphyxiation.
“It can be concluded that the victim did not die at the location (where he was found). According to some indicators from the post mortem results, it’s possible that he died somewhere else and was then placed at the site,” Shuhaily told a press conference last night.
“What’s for sure is that he (Zayn Rayyan) did not die due to drowning. Consistent with what Selangor police chief (Datuk Hussein Omar Khan) said earlier today (yesterday), it’s highly likely that Zayn’s cause of death is strangulation.
Noting that Zayn Rayyan’s body was covered in a number of defensive wounds, Shuhaily added that police are not excluding the possibility of a local familiar with the crime scene having something to do with the murder.
“We’re still looking at it. We have not thrown out the possibility (of someone familiar with the area) being a suspect (as) the site (where Zayn’s body was found) is rarely used as a passageway.”
Zayn Rayyan, who was reported missing on December 5 in Damansara Damai, was found dead in a stream near his residence at Idaman Apartment in Damansara Damai the next day.
Yesterday, Hussein Omar Khan said that Zayn’s death was being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.
This came after an autopsy revealed signs of strangulation and other injuries on Zayn’s body.
Hussein also said that the parents of the child will be recalled for questioning amid the police’s decision to establish a special task force to investigate the alleged murder. – December 8, 2023