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Police hunt alleged child killer
The Bekasi City Police are currently searching for a maid who allegedly tortured her employersâ three-and-a-half-year old son to death on Wednesday
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he Bekasi City Police are currently searching for a maid who allegedly tortured her employers' three-and-a-half-year old son to death on Wednesday.
According to Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Rikwanto, 20-year-old Sutinah had only been working at the house in Bekasi, West Java, for 10 days.
'According to the parents' statements, the maid was newly hired on the recommendation of the victim's grandmother. His grandmother recommended Sutinah to the victim's parents based on a neighbor's recommendation,' he told reporters on Wednesday.
Rikwanto said that neither of the victim's parents, Janter Pinter Simanjuntak and Elvin Sianipar, could describe Sutinah when asked by the police. The parents also did not have Sutinah's picture, telephone number or home address. However, Rikwanto said both parents remembered that Sutinah had a Central Javanese accent.
'We are still looking for the suspect's photograph,' he said.
Rikwanto said that the victim's mother found the toddler, Jason Matthew Simanjuntak, with a pillow on his face at 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday.
When she looked closer, she discovered that Jason was no longer breathing and had a slash wound on his right wrist. There were also blood stains.
Jason was rushed to the Islam Pondok Kopi Hospital in East Jakarta, Rikwanto said, but it was too late and the toddler was announced dead on arrival. His body was then transferred to the Kramat Jati Police Hospital in East Jakarta for an autopsy.
'We think that the suspect slashed the victim's wrists deep enough to hit an artery. The victim most likely died from extreme blood loss,' Rikwanto said, adding that the toddler's body had been taken to his grandfather's house in Cibitung, Bekasi, to be buried.
So far, the police have yet to discover Sutinah's whereabouts or motives behind the torture.
However, Rikwanto said that her boyfriend, Yadi, who said he had dated Sutinah for a month, told police that Sutinah used to tell him that the victim was a naughty child. 'However, that is no excuse to torture a child to death,' he said.
Rikwanto said the Bekasi Police would continue to look for Sutinah and that they were currently in the midst of trying to contact Sutinah's sponsors.
Rikwanto advised city residents that when hiring a domestic worker, employers must ask for an ID card, check the address on the ID card, keep the picture of the worker and ask for the phone number of the worker's relatives.
Bekasi Police spokesperson Adj. Comr. Siswo said, as quoted by tribunnews.com, that the parents had just come home from work when they found their son and Sutinah had already left the house. (fss)
