Four-month-old baby girl’s death in Johor probed as murder, investigation papers sent to prosecution

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 11 — Johor police have upgraded the death of a four-month-old infant in Taman Sri Saujana to murder, with investigation documents sent to the Johor prosecution office for further proceedings. Initially, the case was examined under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001 for neglect, but following a post-mortem at Pasir Gudang Hospital on August 2, it was reclassified under Section 302 of the Penal Code.

The baby's step-grandmother is set to be charged for murder at Kota Tinggi Magistrates' Court the following day, according to Johor police chief Datuk Ab Rahaman Arsad. Police had previously detained the step-grandmother, the baby's grandfather, and mother for investigative purposes, with all three held in custody from August 2 until tomorrow.

A report from a 39-year-old woman on July 31 alerted authorities, stating she discovered the baby unresponsive while asleep at the residence. Despite the efforts of medical personnel who performed CPR, the infant succumbed to her injuries at 10:30 am on the same day.