JOHOR BARU: A total of 11 individuals have had their statements recorded in connection to the murder of a woman and her two-month-old baby in Kampung Bakar Batu here.
This include neighbours as well as family members of the victims, says Johor police chief Comm Datuk Kamarul Zaman Mamat.
“Investigation is still ongoing. The suspect has been cooperating so far. However, we still do not know the motive behind the murder,” he said during Ops Lancar here in Tebrau.
Police will have to wait for a court order before the suspect, who allegedly murdered his wife and baby boy, can be sent for a mental evaluation.
“We need an order from the court before sending him for a mental health check at Hospital Permai,” said Johor Baru South OCPD Asst Comm Raub Selamat.
“Such an order will usually come after we get an instruction to bring the suspect to court to be charged.”
The 25-year-old suspect was arrested on Monday shortly after the remains of a 26-year-old pastry chef and her baby were found in a pool of blood near the front door of their house.
The suspect allegedly fled the scene on a motorcycle after the incident and was later seen riding on busy roads in the city without any clothes.
Video clips of the naked man went viral across social media platforms.
During his arrest, police seized a meat cleaver, but the urine test returned negative for drug abuse.
The suspect has been remanded for one week to assist in investigations under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.
A Kampung Bakar Batu resident, who is a neighbour to the suspect’s family, claimed the man was facing some problems after starting a new cleaning job near the Senai-Desaru Expressway in Kota Tinggi not long ago.
“He used to be a building cleaner before switching jobs to clean an abandoned ship that had been left in the area for quite some time.
“According to his friends, the suspect’s behaviour changed suddenly since working there and that his temper would flare up in just a matter of seconds.
“Before the incident, neighbours said they heard a quarrel in the house but brushed it off as they thought it was just a family misunderstanding,” the neighbour said.