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Indonesian Maid Kills Herself After Slitting The Throats Of Baby And Toddler

A family in Sungai Buloh lost three lives on 25 February 2014 - their 18-month-old baby boy, his five-year-old brother, and their maid whom they thought they could trust.

By Mei Mei Chu — 26 Feb 2014, 10:32 AM — Updated almost 11 years ago

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Indonesian Maid's Sister Sheds Some Light On Her Double-Murder And Suicide

The Indonesian embassy's counsellor for consular affairs Dino Nurwahyudin urged the Malaysian police to investigate and to also look into the relationship between Ernesta and her employees.

Image via AFP

The Sungai Buloh double murder cum suicide took a new twist yesterday when a woman believed to be the sister of the maid, who had allegedly murdered two brothers, claimed the maid was not an illegal immigrant.

The Indonesian embassy's counsellor for consular affairs Dino Nurwahyudin told The Malay Mail the sister identified the maid's body at Sungai Buloh Hospital yesterday morning and claimed Agnes' real name was Ernesta Uto. Police have taken a blood sample from the sister to confirm the relationship but it will take three weeks to get the results.

“The sister Margareta Mau said Ernesta ― who is alleged to have murdered stepbrothers Koay Jia Hong, five, and 18-month-old Melvin Selvam Joseph — entered the country legally in 2008 and had worked with two other employers before working with the murdered boys' family. “The sister said she and Uto entered Malaysia together and they both had work permits,” Dino said.

“Ernesta went back to her hometown in Nusa Tenggara Timur in 2012 to visit her husband and three-year-old son for two weeks. She came back to start work with the boys' family who was supposed to get her a work permit, but never did.”

Dino said, according to Margareta, Ernesta had always kept in touch with and sent money to her family in Indonesia. “However, since she started working for the boys' family, Margareta claimed her family had stopped receiving calls and money from Ernesta.”

He urged the Malaysian police to investigate these claims and to also look into the relationship between Ernesta and her employees because if the claims were true, it might give some answers on why she committed the horrendous act.”

Indonesian police attached to Malaysia Aby Nursetyanto said Margareta's husband was the one who came to the embassy to request permission to look at the body at the hospital. “Both of them work here and had apparently came in together with Ernesta. “I hope Malaysian police will investigate the case properly in light of the new information. They need to explore the possibility of her being murdered.”

27 Feb: The Indonesian Maid Who Slit The Throats Of Two Boys Had Died A Slow Death

Overcome with grief: Koay (second from left) being comforted by family members soon after identifying her sons’ bodies.

Image via thestar.com.my

Police also believed that Agnes died a slow death. “There were air bubbles in the blood vessels. When air bubbles travel to the heart and block the blood flow, the person can die of air embolism. We are still waiting for the post-mortem report,” he said.

“The doctor who conducted the autopsy confirmed the maid had committed suicide based on several stab wounds to her chest and three small injuries at the left side of her neck before she slit her own throat.”

Selvan, who lives in another house nearby, said Agnes had on several occasions mentioned to him how much she missed her child back home. “Whenever she watched me play with the children, she would tell me she missed her child and that she wanted to go back,” he said. “Unfortunately she had no documents that would allow her to travel, so I told her she should meet the person who brought her into the country and ask for his help.”

Although The Indonesian Maid Was Working Illegally Here, She Was Well-Loved By The Family

“Agnes was very liked by the family and the boys really loved her,” Sungai Buloh OCPD Supt Junaidi Bujang said, referring to the Indonesian maid who had been accused of killing stepbrothers Koay Jia Hong, five, and 18-month-old Melvin Selvam Joseph before committing suicide at their home on Tuesday evening.

Melvin’s father, Selvan Joseph, 44, said the maid, known as Agnes, was introduced to him and his estranged wife by their former maid, who had moved to Johor with her husband.

He said Agnes, who was from Flores Island, was able to speak Mandarin and, although he and his wife knew she was residing in the country illegally, her language skill overrode other matters.
“She was also a good employee. She was hardworking and friendly and treated the children as if they were her own,” said Selvan, an independent IT consultant.

The family of stepbrothers Koay Jia Hong, five, and 18-month-old Melvin Selvan Joseph, who were murdered by their Indonesian maid on Tuesday evening, are baffled as to what could have driven a “kind-hearted, normal” person to commit such a crime.

“I can’t understand why she would commit such a horrible act,” said Selvan. “Just the night before the incident, my wife and her family took Agnes out for a nice dinner with them. “They said she was acting normal and there was nothing to indicate she had planned to kill the children.”

Selvan Joseph (left)

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25 Feb: A Family In Sungai Buloh Is Left In Shock After Their Indonesian Maid Killed Their Two Boys And Then Later Committed Suicide On 25 February 2014

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An Indonesian maid was reported to have killed two children before taking her own life at a house in Taman Sri Putra, Sungai Buloh, late Tuesday evening.

Like Any Other Day, The 30-Something-Year-Old Maid Named Agnes Was Left To Take Care Of The Two Brothers

The family had left for the restaurant at 5pm as per their daily routine, leaving the children in the care of the maid, identified only as Agnes.

Meanwhile, Sungai Buloh District Police chief Supt Junaidi Bujang said the incident was believed to have happened between 8am to 6pm when both the parents and family members were out.

When The Grandmother Returned To Their Home In Taman Sri Putra At 7.35pm, She Found The Three Bodies Sprawled In Blood

The children’s grandmother made the gruesome discovery when she returned to their Taman Sri Putra, Sungai Buloh, home early from the family’s restaurant about 7.35pm.

Sungai Buloh Police Chief Superintendent Junaidi Bujang Says The Grandmother Followed The Trail Of Blood From The Kitchen To The Upstairs Room And Alerted The Police

Sungai Buloh police chief Superintendent Junaidi Bujang said a police team despatched to the house when alerted by the grandmother followed a blood trail from the kitchen to an upstairs room.

Junaidi said there was no sign of a break-in and the four dogs reared by the family did not bark during the incident.

The Maid Was Believed To Have Slit The Throat Of Five-Year-Old Koay Jia Hiong On The Upper Floor Of The House First. He Was Found With A TV Remote In His Hand.

There, they found the lifeless form of the elder child, Koay Jia Hiong, still holding on to a television remote control. (The two boys have the same mother. Koay is the son from her first marriage.)

Sungai Buloh OCPD Supt Junaidi Bujang said initial investigations revealed that the maid, in her 30s, who had no documents, slit the throat of the five-year old on the upper level of the double-storey terrace house before the one-year-old boy's throat was slit on the ground floor, near the kitchen.

Image via imgur.com

She Then Slit The Throat Of 18-Month-Old Melvin Selvan Joseph On The Ground Floor Near The Kitchen

The grandmother found the younger child, 18-month-old Melvin Selvan Joseph, and Agnes sprawled in the kitchen with three bloodstained kitchen knives nearby.

“The incident came to light at about 6pm after the victim’s grandmother went home. She found the bodies of her younger grandson and the Indonesian maid in the maid’s room.

After Murdering The Two Boys, The Maid Slit Her Own Throat. Three Knives Were Found Beside Her Body.

Supt Junaidi said that the maid then slit her own throat after murdering the two boys. He added that there were three knives found beside the maid.

Junaidi said initial checks found no sign of forced entry into the house, leading police to believe that it was a case of murder-cum-suicide.

A Neighbour, 34-Year-Old S. Sivakumar, Says He Did Not Hear Any Noise From The House During The Incident

S. Sivakumar, 34, a neighbour who lives two houses away, said neither he nor his family members heard any noise from the house at the time of the incident.

"The family usually goes out in the morning to operate their restaurant nearby, leaving the maid and the two boys at home," he said, adding that there were nine people living the house including the three deceased.

The Maid Had Been With The Family For Close To Two Years. She Was Described As "Loving And Good With The Children".

He said Agnes, who was believed to have been in her 30s, did not have a work permit though she had been with the family for 1½ years. The family had described the maid as “loving and good with the children” and never caused any problems.

Junaidi said the maid and children lived in the house with their mother, her two sisters and parents as well as Melvin’s father.

The Bodies Have Been Sent To The Sungai Buloh Hospital For Post Mortem

“All three bodies have been brought to the Sungai Buloh Hospital for post-mortem and we have found three knives believed to have been used in the murders,” he said.

Selangor CID chief Senior Asst Comm Datuk Mohd Adnan Abdullah said investigations are on-going and the police are still waiting for forensic report.
He urged the public not to speculate on the incident.

Image via NSTP