Mother expresses longing for son in online post

PETALING JAYA: It was a plaintive message, in a stark black background, dedicated to the son she lost.

“Until we meet again, abang, wait for mummy, okay? I miss hugging, kissing and playing with you.

“You will always be irreplaceable as my eldest,” posted Ismanira Abdul Manaf in an Instagram story.

Ismanira is the mother of six-year-old Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matiin, whose body was found on Wednesday night, about 34 hours after his disappearance.

News of his death broke the hearts of Malaysians who had followed the story of his family, who had initially sought public help about the lost boy.

Yesterday, Ismanira shared a black-and-white photo of her with a young child who was holding a milk bottle.

“Forgive my shortcomings when raising you,” she wrote in a caption alongside the photo.

The mother of two also apologised to her friends for not being able to reply to their messages or answer their calls.

She said the mobile phones belonging to her and her husband, Zaim Ikhwan Zahari, 28, were still with the police for investigation.

Ismanira, 28, described the tragedy as the toughest challenge in her life.

“Thank you all for sending your prayers. I plead for strength to go through this,” she said.

The remains of Zayn Rayyan, a non-verbal autistic child who went missing on Tuesday, were found in a river near his home in Damansara Damai.

He was found by a search and rescue team combing through Idaman Apartment, where he was last seen.

After a post-mortem, the police classified the case as homicide.

Selangor police chief Comm Datuk Hussein Omar Khan had said that marks had been found on the boy’s body and neck, as well as injuries believed to be defensive wounds.