What's Going On With The Zayn Rayyan Murder Case?
The six-year-old's remains were found by a riverbank in Damansara Damai in December last year.
By Sadho Ram — 05 Jun 2024, 05:21 PM — Updated 22 days ago
Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matiin was a six-year-old autistic boy who was found dead by a riverbank in Damansara Damai, Petaling Jaya, on 6 December 2023, after his mother reported him missing a day earlier
Zayn Rayyan's remains were discovered in the shallow waters of the riverbank at about 9.30pm by a resident assisting the local authorities in their search and rescue efforts.
The boy was wearing the school uniform he was last seen in by his mother.
The case, initially classified as sudden death, was later investigated for murder after police believed that he was killed by strangulation elsewhere before his body was dumped along the banks of the river.
An autopsy result on 8 December last year revealed signs of self-defence wounds on Zayn Rayyan's body, indicating that the cause of death was injuries to the neck, believed to be caused by strangulation.
Following this, the Selangor police recorded statements of five individuals, including his parents and the first person who discovered Zayn Rayyan's remains, reported the New Straits Times.
What happened afterwards?
In late January this year, Bukit Aman CID director Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain told the media that they had recorded the statements of over 200 individuals in connection with the murder.
However, the police had no new developments and were still evaluating the evidence.
A month later, police still had no new leads despite an RM20,000 reward offered by the Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation Selangor, which hoped to assist in the arrest of the suspect.
The murder case gained traction again recently after sources revealed that the police had arrested Zayn Rayyan's parents in the late morning of Friday, 31 May.
Wait, why were his parents arrested?
According to Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan, the parents were arrested under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder, based on intelligence and investigation from the first day of the incident.
The next day, on 1 June, police obtained a seven-day remand order against the parents.
The remand order for the couple, both 28, ends on Friday, 7 June.
What's next?
"If the police cannot complete the investigation within these seven days, they can apply for a second remand," said Mahmud Abdul Jumaat, the lawyer who represented the parents.
Mahmud and his law firm, Tetuan Emir Mahmud & Co., have since dropped the parents as their clients, citing a busy schedule with other ongoing cases, reported Berita Harian.
Before dropping Zaim Ikhwan Zahari and Ismanira Abdul Manaf as his clients, Mahmud had told the media that the arrest of Zayn Rayyan's parents was something that was "unexpected".
"I, too, was surprised. I believe the entire nation is shocked by this matter."
Since then, the couple's family has appointed Fahmi Abd Moin as their new lawyer.
Fahmi, a former deputy public prosecutor, confirmed that he will represent Zayn Rayyan's parents.
Meanwhile, police have seized the parents' mobile phones and called in more family members and a former babysitter for questioning
However, no further arrests have been made.
Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matiin, the six-year-old autistic boy who was murdered in December last year.
Image via Malaysiakini