Mother of beheaded toddler in Malaysia may be charged with negligence

Siti Salmy, whose two-year-old daughter, Siti Soffea, was beheaded and found by the banks of the Klang River. Police are looking into the possibility of charging the mother of a two-year-old girl with negligence after the toddler was abducted an
Siti Salmy, whose two-year-old daughter, Siti Soffea, was beheaded and found by the banks of the Klang River. Police are looking into the possibility of charging the mother of a two-year-old girl with negligence after the toddler was abducted and beheaded by a man near the Klang River on Thursday night. -- PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK 

KUALA LUMPUR (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Police are looking into the possibility of charging the mother of a two-year-old girl with negligence after the toddler was abducted and beheaded by a man near the Klang River on Thursday night.

A source in the investigation team said irregularities had emerged in the statement given by the girl's mother, Siti Salmy Suib, 32, who alleged that she left her child with her friends because she had to use the toilet at the Kota Raya shopping complex at 3pm on Thursday.

When she came out of the toilet about five minutes later, Madam Siti Salmy claimed her daughter, Siti Soffea Emelda Abdullah, was not with her friends and searched all over for her.

She only learnt of what had happened to her daughter when police tracked her down and alerted her later that night.

"However, when we checked CCTV footage, the victim was seen playing by herself when she was taken by the suspect.

"There were no friends around. Maybe there were friends but they were not there when she was taken. We are looking into her story, maybe she is trying to cover up for herself," said the source.

The source said the CCTV footage showed a security guard watching the suspect lead Siti Soffeah away but took no action.

The source said the guard, when questioned, said it was because he was used to seeing the girl playing and being in the care of several different people, as the girl and her mother were regulars at the mall.

"We may include issues of negligence in the case papers when we forward them to the Deputy Public Prosecutor," the source said.

Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur CID chief Senior Asst Comm Gan Kong Meng said police were still stumped on the motive behind the gruesome beheading of Siti Soffea, which ended in the discovery of her killer's body in Bandar Sunway on Saturday from an apparent drowning.

"We still don't know why he did it. We will need time to process the suspect's fingerprints...We are looking at this case from all angles and have recorded statements from Siti Soffea's parents and those who knew her," SAC Gan said in a statement.

A passer-by spotted the body of the suspect at about 2.30pm on Saturday.

Though the body and face were bloated, its physical appearance and clothing matched witness descriptions of the man they saw cutting off Siti Soffea's head on Thursday night.

The suspect did not have any identification documents on him, though a source believed he had been released from prison recently and had a criminal record.

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.