Murder-cum-suicide, say police of Segambut deaths
The father, who was found dead with his two children on Monday, was reportedly “fierce and violent” and had previously abused his two older boys.
The Star reported that seven-month-old baby boy Cheah Kai Wen and three-year-old girl Cheah Kai Sze, who were found stuffed in large plastic containers, could have fallen victim to abuse at the hands of their father Cheah Hing Soon.
According to the report, unemployed Hing Soon, 34, had in the past abused the dead children’s two elder brothers, aged six and eight, resulting in them bearing large scars and wounds on their bodies.
Sentul police chief ACP R Munusamy told the daily that the boys had scars and bruises, such as a large wound on the back of the head. The tips of their fingers were black, possibly from being fractured, he added.
The two boys also told police that baby Kai Wen had died three months ago and that his body was kept in the apartment, with incense being burnt to mask the smell.
“According to the brothers, the youngest child had started crying, possibly because he was choking on milk. They said the father came out of his room angrily and threw a chair at the baby before going back in,” Munusamy related, adding that the next day, the baby was found dead.
It is unclear how Kai Sze and Hing Soon died, as police await the toxicology report from the hospital.
The 35-year-old mother of the dead children was also reportedly “out of touch” with the real world.
She lived in the same apartment as the deceased and believed her husband when he told her that the dead children were living with relatives, when she questioned him about their disappearance.
The woman also reportedly told the two boys to “go sleep” beside their father’s body after she found him dead. After discovering the triple deaths, the woman also did not call the police, but called a funeral parlour instead, said the report.
Both Hing Soon and the woman were unemployed and were believed to have been supported financially by the man’s father, who runs a credit company in Kuala Lumpur. The woman also constantly asked for handouts from neighbours.
The Star also spoke to neighbours of the family in the Nova 2 apartment, where the deaths took place, who described the man as “fierce and violent”.
Although there were times the family was seen “happy” in the playground or in the swimming pool, there were instances when Hing Soon was heard throwing chairs at home.
Some residents described the children of the couple as “scrawny” and small in size.
On Monday, the bodies of the trio were found in a rented unit on Level 2, Nova Apartment, Taman Sri Sinar, Segambut.
The bodies of the two children were found covered in plastic sheets in two large containers in two rooms while the body of the father was found lying in the master bedroom.
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