Missing 6-year-old Malaysian autistic boy found deceased

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA: A tragic incident unfolded in Damansara Damai, Petaling Jaya, resulting in the devastating loss of Zayn Rayyan, a six-year-old boy diagnosed with autism.

His lifeless body was discovered in a nearby river.

The heart-wrenching turn of events began when Zayn was reported missing on Tuesday by his deeply distressed mother.

She faced every parent’s nightmare, informing authorities about her son’s disappearance at 12:30 pm that day.

The distressing situation occurred near an apartment complex along PJU 10/1, Damansara Damai, where Zayn was last seen.

Petaling Jaya police chief, Fakhrudin Abdul Hamid, confirmed the official report was lodged at 6:36 pm on the same day Zayn went missing.

Mother’s nightmare

Zayn’s disappearance was particularly challenging due to his autism, as he vanished while with his mother near their home after returning from school.

He was last seen wearing a white collared T-shirt, a black tracksuit, and black school shoes, raising concerns in the community.

His mother took to Facebook and pleaded for assistance, sharing details about Zayn’s condition, emphasizing his disability and inability to communicate verbally.

As concern grew, the local police mobilized resources for the search mission.

The Detection Dog Unit (K9) and the Fire and Rescue Department actively participated in the efforts to locate Zayn, reflecting the community’s collective determination to find him.

Volunteer’s search leads to tragic discovery

In a later statement, the PJ police chief stated that the boy’s lifeless body was found by residents with the assistance of the police around 10:00 pm.

A crucial part of this discovery involved Faizol Najib Abdul Naim (45), a volunteer who, guided by his intuition, initiated a search at the creek’s end for the boy.

Despite the earlier combing of the area by the K9, Faizol, joined by four other apartment residents and a police team, had initially planned a house-to-house search for the missing child.

In the dimly lit surroundings, Faizol made a chilling discovery.

He recounted, “When I looked at the river, I saw the whole body lying on its side.”

The child, clothed in his school uniform identical to the photo, was identified as Zayn Rayyan.

Faizol promptly alerted his friends and notified the police about the grim discovery.

The child’s body was subsequently transported to the University Malaya Medical Centre for a post-mortem examination.

Addressing concerns about kidnapping, Fakhrudin stated that, as of now, the police have not identified any elements pointing to the possibility of kidnapping.

With the recovery of the child’s body, the search and rescue operation concluded.