KUALA LUMPUR – Ismanira Abdul Manaf, mother of Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matiin, has posted a heart-wrenching video and message on her Instagram to commemorate her son’s seventh birthday.
“Happy birthday to my firstborn, my sweet little boy, who turns seven today! (February 22).
“My little angel up in heaven, your light still shines brightly in our hearts, and we will always remember the love and joy you brought into our lives, forever… Till we meet again, sayang!”
Her video also saw her and her husband, Zaim Ikhwan Zahari, and their youngest son singing Happy Birthday, as well as blowing out candles on a cake decorated with dinosaur cutouts.
Ismanira also wrote in her “love letter from mummy” that her “days seem a little darker” since his body was found on December 6 last year.
“We will meet again, my son… the days seem a little darker since we have been apart, but deep in my heart, you are always there, because the gates of memories will never close. I miss you more than anybody knows… till we meet again, son.
“It breaks my heart to lose you, and you did not go alone for a part of me went with you since the day God called you home, a million times I’ve thought of you, a million times I’ve cried…”
Police have yet to conclude their investigations into the tragic circumstances that led to Zayn Rayyan’s brutal murder. His killer remains at large despite the manhunt in the first few weeks following the discovery of his body some 200m from his apartment block in Damansara Damai.
Yesterday, Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain said that despite facing challenges, including identifying the primary location of the murder, police had not given up on the case and are still scrutinising every piece of information gathered.
He said every expertise available in the CID, including forensics, has been deployed to ensure that those responsible can be brought to justice.
“At this particular time, my team is still looking at the technical part. Most forensic results are already in and the challenge we are facing now is that we cannot identify the primary location of the incident… what we have is the secondary location.
“We are still doing the triangulation, in addition to refining some technical matters, including the statements collected from the public.”
Shuhaily said they expected to have a new lead after Selangor Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation deputy chairman Datuk Seri A. Thaiveegan offered a reward of RM20,000 for information that would lead to the arrest of Zayn Rayyan’s murderer.
At the same time, Suhaily advised the public not to continue to put Zayn Rayyan’s parents under pressure by associating them with the murder of their son.
On December 5, a day before the tragic discovery, the boy’s mother shared on Facebook that her son had gone missing while they were climbing the stairs to their home at the Idaman Apartments in Damansara Damai, after going to the nearby playground.
Though initially classified as a missing child and sudden death case, the autopsy results revealed that the boy was murdered based on defensive wounds found on his body. The case is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code. – February 23, 2024