Stop speculating about our son's death, say parents of boy who fell from flat

JOHOR BARU: The parents of the 11-year-old boy who fell from the 11th floor of the Larkin Flats here are asking the public to stop speculating about their son's death.

Housewife Ruhayati Rahmat, 56, said she felt hurt by some social media comments about her youngest son, Muhammad Aizzuddin Abdul Hadi, who was laid to rest at the Mount Austin Muslim cemetery on Monday (Jan 30).

The Year Five student suffered severe injuries after falling from their home on the 11th floor at around 7.30pm on Sunday (Jan 29) and passed away a few hours later at Hospital Sultanah Aminah.

Ruhayati said the boy, fondly known as Dudin among family members, was unwell before the incident took place.

"I took him to the doctor earlier in the day and when we returned home, he just slept in his room wearing his school sports uniform.

"In the evening, he woke up at around 7pm and suddenly ran back and forth a few times from the bathroom and bedroom.

"As he was still wearing his socks, I told him to remove them as he was getting the floor wet," she said when interviewed at her home Tuesday (Jan 31).

She added that she was tending to some housework when a neighbour informed her that a boy had fallen and was lying on the zinc awning of a shop on the ground floor.

"I searched the bedroom to find my son missing. I rushed to the verandah, looked down and saw the body but I refused to believe it was Dudin," she added.

The mother of two ran downstairs from the 11th floor to get a closer look but her husband Abdul Hadi Mat Salleh, 50, was already at the scene and confirmed the boy was Muhammad Aizzuddin.

"Now that he has been laid to rest, we just want some peace as we have just lost our youngest child.

"I hope the public can stop speculating and making negative comments about him," she added.

Larkin assemblyman Mohd Hairi Mad Shah said he would work with Deputy Local Government Development Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir, who is also Johor Baru MP, to improve the infrastructure of the 36-year-old Larkin Flats.

"The state and federal governments should also look into installing railings for all flats that have more than five storeys to ensure the safety of the residents are safeguarded," said Mohd Hairi, who is also the state youth, sports, entrepreneur development, cooperatives and human resources committee chairman.

Earlier, he visited Muhammad Aizzuddin's family and offered his condolences.