Domestic Violence Believed To Be Motive In Murder Of Mother, Daughter

ALOR SETAR, Aug 20 (Bernama) -- Domestic violence is believed to be the motive behind the murder of a woman and her daughter, whose bodies were discovered in a drain behind an abandoned building near Pekan Simpang Kuala yesterday.

Kedah deputy police chief DCP Adzli Abu Shah said the incident was not linked to organised crime or other parties and urged the public to refrain from speculating about the state being unsafe, as this could cause undue distress to the community.

“The police received information about the incident at 5.04 pm yesterday and found two bodies with slash wounds on their necks. Intelligence led to the arrest of a 43-year-old suspect, the husband and father of the victims, at 9.20 pm.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect had been living with his wife and three children in the abandoned building for the past week. Yesterday, the police discovered the bodies of his wife and 10-year-old daughter, while his five-year-old son was found safe with the suspect when he was arrested,” he told a press conference here today.

Meanwhile, he said the police believe that the two-year-old boy found dead at Pantai Leman, Kuala Kedah, at 12 pm today is the suspect’s youngest child.

“The initial examination of the child’s body revealed slash wounds similar to those on the two bodies found yesterday. Therefore, we believe the child is the suspect’s youngest son and will conduct a DNA test to confirm the victim’s identity,” he said.

Adzli said that all the victims are believed to have been murdered last Sunday in the abandoned building, with two of the bodies later dumped in a nearby drain.

He added that the suspect, who tested positive for drugs, has been remanded until 26 August, and the case was being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code.

-- BERNAMA