The family of a 19-year-old college student found murdered in Ketereh remains in shock, struggling to come to terms with her tragic death just a week after she returned to resume her studies.
The victim’s eldest brother, Muhammad Faris Zulkifly, 21, said the family rushed from Kuala Kangsar, Perak, after being informed of the incident involving his sister, Nurfisya Zulkifly.
He said he received a call from police at around 12.30pm on Friday but was initially told only that his sister had died, without further details. The family immediately travelled to Kelantan, arriving at about 8pm the same day.
“We only knew that she had passed away and didn’t know the full details. It was only when we were passing through Jeli that we learned more about what happened after seeing information circulating on social media,” he said when met at the mortuary of Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab II.
Earlier reports stated that the victim was believed to have been killed at another location before her body was dumped on a road near a paddy field, where it was discovered by villagers at around 12.30am.
A post-mortem later revealed that she had suffered 61 stab wounds to her body, neck and face.
Muhammad Faris said the family last saw Nurfisya when she returned home to Kuala Kangsar during her semester break. He described her as cheerful, with no noticeable changes in behaviour at the time.
“She even talked about wanting to eat her favourite foods like ayam penyet and shared her dream of buying a Mini Cooper after completing her studies,” he said.
Nurfisya, the only daughter among four siblings, had just entered her third semester at Kolej Poly-Tech Mara, where she was pursuing a Diploma in Early Childhood Education. She was expected to complete a total of seven semesters.
