The search for a 10-year-old girl who went missing on July 13 ended in tragedy after her body was discovered at a bushy slope near an unfinished house in Kampung Numbak, Sepanggar, on Thursday night.
The child’s remains were found at about 10.30pm in a badly decomposed state, with the head and facial features no longer recognisable.
Acting Kota Kinabalu District Police Chief Superintendent Syed Lot Syed Abdul Rahman said police received information regarding the discovery at 10.38pm before a team of officers and the Forensic Services Unit were sent to the location.
He said initial investigations found that the victim’s physical condition had deteriorated due to decomposition, making facial identification impossible.
“However, the victim was still wearing the clothes she had on when she was reported missing. Identification was made by the victim’s mother based on the clothing,” he said in a statement.
Syed Lot said a post-mortem examination found that the child was believed to have died due to injuries to her face and the back of her head, suspected to have been caused by a hard and blunt object.
Following investigations, police arrested two local men aged 39 and 42 to assist with the case.
He said police would apply for a remand order against both suspects to complete further investigations, while the motive behind the incident was still being investigated.
The case is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.
The victim was previously reported missing after she left her family home in Kampung Numbak Bakau, Sepanggar, on July 13.
The Kota Kinabalu District Police Headquarters had earlier issued a missing person notice to help locate the child before her body was found on Thursday night.
