A father and his two-year-old child were found dead in a suspected murder that has shocked residents in Palu, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.
The incident took place over the weekend at a house in Duyu, West Palu, where the family had reportedly moved in about two weeks earlier. The property was also being used as a chicken processing facility.
Palu Police Criminal Investigation chief AKP Ismailboby confirmed the case is being investigated as a double murder.
Police said they are still working to establish the sequence of events and the motive behind the killings. The suspect remains at large, with investigators tracking an individual believed to have been captured in a video circulating on social media.
A neighbour, identified as Bahtiar, said he was among the first to realise something was wrong after hearing cries for help coming from the house.
“I looked through the window and heard someone pleading, ‘Don’t kill me.’ Moments later, I heard a young child crying from inside the house,” he said, adding that he initially believed it was a domestic dispute.
Growing suspicious, Bahtiar went to the house and found the father lying near the entrance with multiple stab wounds, while the victim’s wife had suffered serious injuries.
The couple’s two-year-old child was later found dead on a bed inside the house.
Police have since carried out a forensic examination of the scene, questioned several witnesses and collected evidence as investigations continue. The suspect has yet to be arrested.
