TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Mirna may have been poisoned, but not with cyanide, expert says
Change Size
Australian forensic pathologist Beng Ong (right) testified as a witness in the murder trial of Wayan Mirna Salihin at the Central Jakarta District Court on Sept. 6. (Antara/Rivan Awal Lingga)
U
niversity of Indonesia (UI) forensic pathologist Djaja Surya Atmadja, who testified for Jessica Kumala Wongso in her murder trial, has emphasized that Wayan Mirna Salihin might have been poisoned, but possibly not with cyanide.
“She may have been poisoned, but I don’t know with what because there is no autopsy report. Owing to a lack of an autopsy report, we do not know whether Mirna died of an illness,” Djaja told the panel of judges at the Central Jakarta District Court on Wednesday.
Djaja said victims of cyanide poisoning usually had reddish skin and a swollen stomach. In the victim’s liver, a large amount of cyanide and thiocyanate would also be found. The stomach, urine and blood of the victim would also contain cyanide.
When asked by judge Binsar Gultom whether an autopsy could be performed after months of being buried, Djaja said the results would not be optimal as soil also contained cyanide.
However, an autopsy may provide answers, if police and prosecutors believe carrying out one will help, Djaja added. (bbn)
