JOHOR BARU: A man’s three-month search for his missing wife and children concluded when he discovered six charred skeletal remains, including those of four children, in a burnt, abandoned house in Kangkar Pulai.
Johor police chief Comm Datuk Ab Rahaman Arsad said the 48-year-old discovered the remains on Jan 9 at the house located within an oil palm plantation.
“The man claimed his wife and children had been staying at the house after they separated about three months ago.
“He had been trying to locate them since losing contact,” Comm Ab Rahaman told a press conference at the Johor police headquarters yesterday.
The man lodged a report at the Iskandar Puteri district police headquarters on the same day after finding the remains.
“Post-mortem reports confirmed the remains belonged to two adults, a teenager and three children who had been reported missing earlier.
Tragic situation: The abandoned house, now burnt, where the victims had been staying in an oil palm plantation in Kangkar Pulai, Johor. — Photo courtesy of the Johor Police.
“They were believed to be aged two, five, nine, 17, 29 and 35. Checks also revealed that the children, comprising one boy and three girls, had no school records,” he said.
Police said they have identified the man’s 35-year-old wife but are still tracing the identity of the other adult skeletal remains.
Based on investigations, police arrested three men and a woman aged 19 to 35 at several locations in Iskandar Puteri on Jan 21.
“The four suspects have no family ties with the victims. They were friends who allegedly took drugs together with one of the missing adults.
“The four suspects also have prior criminal records, and their urine tests indicated they were positive for methamphetamine,” he said.
Police have referred their investigation to the Johor Deputy Public Prosecutor’s Office. Two of the male suspects would be charged at the Johor Baru Magistrate’s Court for murder.
“The other two suspects have been released on police bail and will be called as prosecution witnesses during the trial,” he added.
