Lawyer claims family left in dark over Zayn's murder probe

A lawyer for the family of Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matin, a six-year-old boy who was found dead by a stream near his home in 2023, claimed that police have failed to provide meaningful updates on probes into the autistic child’s death.

Haresh Mahadevan (above, centre), who represented Zayn’s mother Ismanira Abdul Manaf in her child neglect trial, said the family’s repeated attempts to seek information from police on the status of their investigations have been met with silence thus far.

“We sent three letters to the authorities sometime earlier this year, but we have not gotten any response until now,” the lawyer told Malaysiakini.

Earlier, the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court convicted Ismanira of child neglect and sentenced her to five years in prison, beginning today.

The court found that Ismanira had committed neglect by allowing Zayn to walk behind her without supervision, leading to his disappearance.

The 30-year-old was also ordered by the judge, Syahliza Warnoh, to complete 120 hours of community service as well as undertake a good behaviour bond for two years with one surety and an RM3,000 collateral.

Meanwhile, Haresh confirmed that his team has begun the process of filing an appeal against today’s verdict.

‘Killer is still out there’

After the court delivered its ruling, Zayn’s paternal grandfather, Zahari Reba, told reporters that while the court has made its decision, police still have a duty to continue their hunt for Zayn’s killer.

“What is the status of his case? Until now, police have been conducting a failed investigation; the killer is still out there.

“I’m appealing to the authorities to continue their investigation fairly and transparently,” he added.

Zahari stressed that while his family has been slandered and vilified online by irresponsible quarters, they will continue to pray for divine justice against those who wronged them.

“Our hearts are broken hearing today’s decision because we have always been close with our daughter-in-law, (but) since we now have to look after Zayn’s younger brother, we have to look after our emotions.

“We hope that the Social Welfare Department will hand the child over to us; we’re willing to look after him,” Zahari said.

Charged for negligence

Ismanira was initially charged together with her husband, Zaim Ikhwan Zahari, on June 13 last year, with the charges against them alleging that the couple had neglected Zayn to the point that he had suffered physical harm.

They were accused of committing the crime at their house in Apartment Idaman, Damansara Damai, between 12pm, Dec 5, and 9.55pm the next day in 2023.

The charges were filed under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, which carries a maximum of 20 years in jail or RM50,000 fine or both. The couple had pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The court later acquitted Zaim on July 21 this year, after finding the prosecution had failed to prove a prima facie case despite the testimonies of 28 prosecution witnesses.

Zayn went missing on Dec 5 and was found dead near a stream at his house the next day, with injuries found on his neck and body.

A post-mortem on his remains showed that he was murdered.

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