An Indonesian couple have been arrested after their 20-month-old daughter was allegedly murdered, with the stepfather accused of drowning the toddler in a bucket inside a public toilet in South Jakarta.
The incident reportedly took place on October 31, 2026, at a public toilet opposite Kebayoran Station. The child’s 22-year-old stepfather and her 19-year-old biological mother allegedly carried out the crime because they could no longer afford to care for her.
According to local news outlet Kompas, the stepfather was unemployed while the mother earned a living as a busker.
After the child died, the couple allegedly wrapped her body in plastic and buried it in a vacant lot in Bendungan Hilir, Central Jakarta. The burial site was reportedly about 50cm deep.
Kebayoran Lama Police Chief Commissioner Seala Syah Alam said on November 2 that the public toilet attendant became suspicious after noticing the couple’s behaviour and hearing the toddler scream.
The stepfather allegedly took the girl into the toilet twice, at around 7pm and again at 11pm, with witnesses reporting that they heard her cries.
The attendant initially contacted police over a suspected case of sodomy. However, further investigations uncovered a suspected murder.
Seala said the man allegedly held the toddler by her legs and repeatedly forced her head into a bucket.
After the child died, he reportedly told his wife what had happened before they allegedly disposed of her body to conceal the crime.
Police said the toddler had a three-year-old brother, who has since been placed under the care of social services.
Seala told CNN Indonesia that the couple had allegedly decided to kill the younger child because they were struggling financially and could no longer make ends meet.
An autopsy at a police hospital revealed that the toddler was severely malnourished when she died.
Forensic pathologists also found extensive signs of previous physical trauma, including bone fractures and injuries to her internal organs, Kompas reported.
Both suspects remain in custody. The stepfather faces charges of premeditated murder and child abuse, while the mother is accused of concealing a corpse to hide a homicide.
Investigators recently took the man back to the scene, where he reenacted how he allegedly killed the toddler and buried her body.
