KAJANG: Sobs of grief and sorrow filled the halls of the Jing An Memorial Village here as family members and close friends came to offer their final goodbyes to the tragic passing of teenager Yap Xin Yuan.
Over two dozen people stood in silence during the final rites ceremony on Sunday (Jan 5) as they mourned the loss of the 15-year-old.
The crowd then walked together and escorted the hearse containing her ashes before she was sent off to her final resting ground at the nearby Tian Ning Columbarium.
Wishing to stay with their loved one until the last minute, the crowd followed the hearse to the columbarium, where they each offered their final parting gift to Yap before her urn was sealed.
From flowers to snacks and even teddy bears, Yap’s urn, a resting capsule, was filled with treasures from those who loved her.
“Coming home every day is going to be so much more lonely with one less person in my house,” said Yap’s father.
With a face of anguish, Yap’s mother could only hope that justice would be delivered to whoever was responsible for the death of her beloved daughter.
“I just hope the three suspects are delivered their due judgement and punishments for having suddenly taken my daughter's life away,” she said somberly.
On Jan 28, Yap’s body was discovered in the RTB Sungai Changgang in Banting, and a later DNA test confirmed a match with her mother.
Yap was reported missing on Dec 19, when she left her house to attend an 8.30am lion dance practice session at a basketball court in Batu 11 Cheras.
According to a closed-circuit television recording her parents obtained from her boyfriend’s neighbour, Yap arrived at her boyfriend's house in an e-hailing car at around 8.45am that day.
On Jan 3, Selangor police chief Comm Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said police firmly believed that her death was linked to her 16-year-old boyfriend.
Comm Hussein stated that the police are investigating who discarded Yap’s body in the river, looking into whether it was solely her boyfriend or if any accomplices were involved.
Three suspects are still in custody as investigations continue into the case, which has been classified as murder.
