Witness Heard Argument Before Tragic Family Murder - Police

KUANTAN, Feb 18 (Bernama) -- A witness to the incident in which a family of five was killed in a house in Cerating Damai here yesterday claims to have heard the sound of an argument before the tragic incident unfolded.

Kuantan police chief ACP Ashari Abu Samah said the initial statements from the witness, who is the suspect’s youngest brother, indicated that he heard the incident at about 7 am while he was in his bedroom.

“When the witness came out of the room and looked towards the kitchen, he found his mother covered in blood and screaming for him to go seek help from his uncle, who was at the back of the same residential area.

“The witness then sought his uncle’s help and, upon arriving at the house, they found all the victims and the suspect covered in blood and unconscious,” he said when contacted today.

He said the house was occupied by eight family members, including the suspect, who worked as a security guard; his wife, a housewife; two daughters; his mother; and three younger brothers. But, at the time of the incident, there were only six family members.

Ashari said that checks found that the 32-year-old suspect had no record of mental treatment or previous criminal offences.

He said that initial investigations at the scene found that the suspect had attacked his wife Nurul Asshiykin Kamaruzaman, 33, first and then his mother, Tuan Kamaria Tuan Puteh, 55, and two daughters Nur Saffiyah Humairah, 4, and Nur Sumayyah Humairah, 2, with a sharp weapon before turning the weapon on himself. He also died at the scene.

Ashari added that injuries found on the victims included wounds on the hands, ears, and neck, and the police also seized a 29-centimetre knife at the scene.

It is understood that the autopsies of the suspect and his wife were conducted yesterday, while those for the mother and two children continued at 9 am today.

-- BERNAMA