KUALA LUMPUR: Today will determine whether the parents of Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matin will be released or ordered to enter their defence over the charge of neglecting their autistic son.
Judge Dr Syahliza Warnoh is expected to deliver her decision at the end of the prosecution’s case at the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court.
The court will decide whether the prosecution has successfully established a prima facie case against the couple, Zaim Ikhwan Zahari and Ismanira Abdul Manaf, in relation to the charge of neglecting their son.
Chronology of the Zayn Rayyan Case
Dec 5, 2023: Zayn Rayyan’s mother shares news of her son’s disappearance on Facebook.
Dec 6: Search operation begins involving the Fire and Rescue Department, Royal Malaysia Police, and K9 sniffer dogs around Apartment Idaman, Damansara Damai.
Zayn Rayyan’s mother claims her son went missing while climbing the stairs at Block R around noon.
The family seeks Islamic healing and holds a special prayer session (solat hajat).
9pm: Search operation conducted by residents and police involving 2,482 housing units at Apartment Idaman.
10pm: Zayn Rayyan’s body is found in a stream, about 100 metres from the family’s home, by local residents.
The stream had already been searched three times by the K9 Unit.
Initially, the police classify the death as Sudden Death (SDR).
Dec 7: The family awaits the post-mortem results.
5pm: Selangor Police Chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan confirms Zayn Rayyan was murdered; post-mortem reveals injuries on the child’s body.
Case reclassified as murder, investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code.
Zayn Rayyan is buried at the Section 9 Islamic Cemetery, Kota Damansara.
6pm: Police seal off the stream where the body was found to collect further evidence.
Dec 8: Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department Director, Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain, says the child was killed elsewhere before being left at the stream.
Dec 10: Police gather evidence from a store near Block R and take samples from Zayn Rayyan’s home.
48 individuals — including family members, neighbours, and witnesses — have given statements.
DNA samples collected from 228 residents.
Checks carried out on 5,628 residents across 2,484 housing units.
Dec 13: Police discover a sock in a water pool at the stream, found with help from the Fire and Rescue Department and the Selangor Drainage and Irrigation Department.
Three individuals test positive for drugs at Apartment Damai following DNA screening, but they are not linked to the murder.
Dec 14: Two witnesses claim to have seen Zayn Rayyan on the second and third floors of Block R at around 5pm on the day he was reported missing.
Police confirm that 86 statements and 238 DNA samples have been collected so far.
Dec 23: Bukit Aman seeks assistance from INTERPOL to cross-check data obtained during the murder investigation.
Dec 28: Police confirm the murder investigation remains open despite no new leads.
Jan 7, 2024: Police confirm receipt of general information from INTERPOL.
Feb 6: Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) Selangor offers a RM20,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Zayn Rayyan’s killer.
March 21, 2024: Police deny allegations of delays in the murder investigation.
Selangor Police Chief reiterates that efforts began the moment Zayn was reported missing.
May 8: Bukit Aman reiterates that the murder case remains open and active, pending new leads.
May 31: Selangor Police Chief confirms that Zayn Rayyan’s parents were arrested in Puncak Alam at 10am.
1 June 2024
The parents are remanded for seven days by the Petaling Jaya Magistrates’ Court.
June 7: The Petaling Jaya Sessions Court extends the couple’s remand for a further six days, until June 13.
June 10: Police take Zayn Rayyan’s mother to Apartment Idaman, Damansara Damai, to re-enact the events leading from his disappearance to the discovery of his body.
June 12: Zayn Rayyan’s mother is brought to the Sessions Court in Petaling Jaya for a guilty plea recording related to the investigation.
Police also detain Zayn’s grandparents to assist in the investigation.
June 13: Both parents are charged in the Sessions Court with neglecting Zayn Rayyan in a manner likely to cause him physical injury.
Jan 21, 2025: The couple files an application at the Shah Alam High Court seeking immediate release from the charge of neglecting their autistic child.
Feb 3: Trial begins at the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court.
April 24: Prosecution closes its case after calling 28 witnesses over 20 days of proceedings.
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