Missing autistic boy found dead in oil palm plantation

IPOH: An autistic six-year-old boy reported missing yesterday evening was found dead in an oil palm plantation in Kampung Baru, near Sungai Sumun, Hutan Melintang, last night.

Perak fire and rescue department assistant director of operations Sabarodzi Nor Ahmad said information on the missing child was received from the police at 6.24pm. A team from the Hutan Melintang fire and rescue station was subsequently dispatched to the scene.

He said the victim’s father realised the boy was not in the house and that the front door had been left open.

“An initial search conducted by the victim’s father around the house and in a nearby oil palm plantation failed to locate the victim.

“A police report on the boy’s disappearance was lodged at 3.30pm,” he said in a statement today.

Sabarodzi said the victim was found in a ditch in the oil palm plantation by members of the public at 10.08pm, during the search and rescue operation.

The victim’s body was handed over to the police for further action and the operation concluded at about 11pm.

The Bagan Datuk Malaysian Civil Defence Force district operations control centre said in a statement that the victim was found by villagers about 330m from his house. He was confirmed dead by a forensic team.