JOHOR BARU: A woman is expected to be brought to a a Kota Tinggi Magistrate's Court on Wednesday (Aug 12) to face a charge of allegedly murdering her 16-month-old step-granddaughter late last month.
Johor police chief Comm Datuk Ab Rahaman Arsad said the victim was initially believed to have died while sleeping at her home in Taman Sri Saujana, Kota Tinggi, on July 31.
He said police received a report from the victim’s step-grandmother at about 9.30am after the woman tried to wake the child but found that she was unresponsive.
“Medical personnel who arrived at the scene attempted CPR before the girl was pronounced dead at about 10.30am.
“Initially, the case was investigated under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001 for neglect resulting in the victim’s death,” he said in a press conference held at the state police headquarters here on Tuesday (Aug 11).
However, a post-mortem conducted by a forensic medical officer at Pasir Gudang Hospital at about 1.05am on Aug 2 found that the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the abdomen and chest.
Comm Ab Rahaman said the examination also found injuries and bruises on the victim’s body believed to have been caused by abuse, prompting police to reclassify the investigation under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.
“Following the findings, police arrested the victim’s step-grandmother, grandfather and mother on Aug 2 to assist investigations. The three suspects, aged between 18 and 47 years old, had no previous criminal records and tested negative for drugs,” he added.
Comm Ab Rahaman said all three were remanded until Wednesday (Aug 12), while the investigation papers were completed and referred to the Johor prosecution office on Aug 10.
“The prosecution has instructed that the victim’s step-grandmother be charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder, while the victim’s grandfather and mother are to be released on bond under Section 118 of the Criminal Procedure Code to be prosecution witnesses,” he said.
Comm Ab Rahaman also urged the public not to speculate or spread unverified information that could interfere with the legal process, and called on anyone with information on criminal activities to contact the nearest police station or the Johor police hotline at 019-279 2095.
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