Missing autistic boy Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matiin was found on the second day of the search operation, at the same location where authorities including K9 tracker dogs had combed prior.
Could the killer be among the residents who helped the police in the search and was the body placed there following the police's call for a door-to-door search?
Here are the full details of the unfortunate boy since the first day of his disappearance:
Day 1 – Dec 5
A distressing incident unfolded as 6-year-old Zayn, a non-verbal child with special needs, went missing on Dec 5, 2023 around noon.
Through the Facebook platform, a user named Chezaiton Abd Aziz about the missing boy and conveyed the news that the mother asked for assistance and asked anyone who saw the boy to let her know.
The boy's mother is Ismanira Abdul Manaf.
According to Chezaiton's post, Zayn was last seen while he was on his way back from the playground with his mother at block R, Idaman Damansara Damai Apartment.
Earlier, they had stopped at the playground because Zayn wanted to play on the swings.
As they walked home, Ismanira, who was carrying grocery bags from her recent purchases, was right in front of Zayn.
However, at the stairs of the building, as she looked back, she was shocked to find that her son had mysteriously vanished without a trace, with no audible sound of the boy running.
Ismanira quickly went to the playground and around the block to find Zayn but failed.
The child was last seen wearing black school shoes, black jeans, and a collared T-shirt with a school badge from SK Damansara Damai 2.
Petaling Jaya district police chief Assistant Commissioner Mohd Fakhrudin Abdul Hamid said the police received a missing person report on the boy at 6.36pm on the same day Zayn disappeared.
Police as well as the Fire and Rescue Department searched for the boy around the apartment compound and the creek near the apartment but there was no trace of Zayn. Despite their efforts on Tuesday, the team unfortunately couldn't find Zayn.
Day 2 – Dec 6
On day two of the search, police, the Fire and Rescue Department and residents of the apartment resumed their search at 11am despite the heavy rain.
Sniffer dogs from the Tracking Dog Unit (K9) were also brought to help in the search and the area of the creek was searched again but there were no signs of Zayn.
There were also news reports which stated that Zayn was seen walking into a nearby forest.
At this point, Zayn’s mother Salina had said that the special needs child could have gone into someone’s home.
"My child is special so he will enter any house if the door is open,” she had said, adding that her instinct told her that Zayn was not far away.
The search stopped at 4pm and resumed in the evening where a group of 40 police officers and 60 residents divided into teams to search door-to-door through the 18 blocks with 2,484 homes at Idaman Apartment to find the boy.
The team was led by Petaling Jaya district police chief Assistant Commissioner Mohamad Fakhruddin Abdul Hamid.
As the team combed the building and nearby area, they discovered Zayn’s body next to a nearby creek located about 200 metres from the apartment at about 10pm.
Fakhruddin confirmed the discovery, stating that the body was found after a comprehensive search involving police, fire and rescue personnel, K9 units and members of the public.
Fakhruddin stressed that the riverbank area was searched twice on the first day and second day but found nothing.
He said that the location where the body was found was actually part of the waterway and further investigations would be conducted.
The body was then taken to Sungai Buloh Hospital for a post-mortem.
The police expressed their gratitude to the community, Idaman Apartment residents, fire agencies, rescuers, K-9 units, and the Civil Defence Force for their invaluable support and collaboration throughout the search operation.
Police said the investigation was considered closed and they would figure out how the body ended up there after Tuesday's search.
Day 3 - Dec 7
In a turn of events, the autopsy revealed that there were injuries on Zayn’s neck and his body, which intensified suspicions of criminal involvement which led police to reclassify the case as murder.
Selangor Police Chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan revealed that the investigation was now conducted under Section 302 of the Penal Code
Hussein said the public with information related to the incident should immediately contact the police to help with the investigation.
The police are now actively pursuing individuals linked to the case, expressing determination to make arrests on the perpetrator.
Following the post-mortem, Zayn’s body was released to the family members and he was laid to rest at the Islamic Cemetery in Section 9, Kota Damansara, here on Thursday.
The remains of Zayn arrived at the cemetery around 6.49pm after the funeral prayers was held at Masjid Al Muhtadim, Damansara Damai.
More than 200 family members attended the burial.