SUNGAI BULOH: A young couple returning home from work were horrified to find their son, who had been left under the care of his uncle, dead about 20m from their house in an Orang Asli settlement here.
In the incident on Tuesday morning, the couple noticed their front door was ajar and their one-year and seven-month-old toddler was not inside the house.
They called out his name, but there was no response. They began searching the settlement and found the boy surrounded by stray dogs that had attacked and mauled him to death.
Overcome with horror and grief, they carried their son to their car and rushed him to the hospital, but it was too late.
Sungai Buloh police chief, Superintendent Mohd Hafiz Muhammad Nor, said police received a call at 8.40am from a medical officer at Sungai Buloh Hospital, who reported that a toddler had been rushed to the emergency department unconscious.
“Despite swift efforts by the medical team to resuscitate him, the child showed no response. He was pronounced dead at 9.14am.
“A detailed examination found multiple scratches and bite marks on his head and entire body, which is consistent with marks of an animal attack,” he said.
Mohd Hafiz said that at the time of the incident, the boy had been sleeping in the living room under the care of his uncle, who was unaware that the toddler had wandered outside.
The boy’s body has been sent to the Sungai Buloh Hospital’s forensics department for a post-mortem examination.
The case is being investigated under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001 for negligence, which carries a penalty of up to 20 years’ jail or a fine of up to RM50,000, or both.
Police urged the public not to speculate on the incident and to come forward with any information by contacting the nearest police station, the Sungai Buloh police hotline at 03-6156 1222, or the investigating officer Inspector Mohamad Aizad Abdul Azik at 013-4861194.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
