Parents of missing Kuching four-year-old released on police bail, babysitter and husband remain in jail

KUCHING: The parents of missing four-year-old Eric Chang Wei Jie have been released on police bail, while his babysitter and her husband remain in custody.

Kuching police chief Asst Comm Ahsmon Bajah said the boy's parents were released on Monday (March 14).

"The babysitter and her husband are still under remand until March 16 at the Tabuan Jaya police station.

"On Wednesday (March 16) morning, they will be further remanded under Section 302 of the Penal Code (for murder)," he said in a brief statement Tuesday (March 15).

Eric's parents were at the Muara Tebas jetty near here on Monday to observe the second day of the search operation for their son's body.

The search began on Sunday (March 13) after Eric's babysitter, who was arrested on March 9, reportedly confessed to police that she knew what had happened to the boy.

On Sunday also, police reclassified the case as murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code after earlier investigating it under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act for neglect or abandonment.

Chang was reported missing from a house in Bintawa here on March 7.

The search for Chang resumed on Tuesday, although it was temporarily suspended in the morning due to poor weather.

The operation is led by police, including its air wing unit, with assistance from the Fire and Rescue Department and Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.

According to the Fire and Rescue Department, the search radius has been extended to Tanjung Po while a ground search was also conducted along 300m of the Bukit Lasak shoreline.

"We have also deployed our K9 (canine) unit to assist in the search for the missing child," it said.