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Girl found dead in mum's car 'exorcism victim'
Sat, Feb 23, 2008 The Straits Times
KUALA LUMPUR - A FIVE-YEAR-OLD girl who was found naked and dead in her mother's car was apparently the victim of failed exorcism rites. According to neighbours, the girl, Cheah Sieow Eng, was beaten to 'chase away evil spirits that had possessed her'. The police have arrested the dead girl's 25-year-old mother. They are also looking for her live-in boyfriend who is already a wanted man in Johor. The dead girl's mother claimed that she left her daughter in the car for an hour while she went to get groceries at a shop in Kepong in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday night.

Doctors failed to revive the girl and, noticing the fresh external wounds on her body, immediately alerted the police.

The case has been classified as murder after a post-mortem at the hospital on Thursday revealed that she had been strangled.

She had also been severely beaten with a belt and a cane. There were cigarette burns all over her body.

Pathologists said the wounds were less than a month old.

Sentul police chief Assistant Commissioner Sofian Yassin said the woman's boyfriend had fled their home in Taman Fadason, Kepong, after discovering the girl was dead.

The boyfriend also has a two-month-old daughter with Sieow Eng's mother.

He is believed to have driven off with the girl in a Nissan Cefiro.

'We believe he is in Batu Pahat and have alerted police there to be on the lookout,' AC Sofian said.

The police said that the boyfriend is on the Johor police's wanted list for two cases of criminal intimidation and theft, and that he allegedly sold VCDs and repaired mobile phones for a living.

He and the dead girl's mother had been living together for almost a year in Taman Fadason.

Police seized a Perodua Kenari at the house and found a parang, an air gun and several other items which they believe can help in the investigation.

On questioning the mother's parents, the police learned that they had not seen their daughter or grandchild since Jan 16.

The New Straits Times reported that the girl's grandparents were hoping to meet their granddaughter on Chinese New Year, but the mother and daughter did not turn up.

The grandparents were at the mortuary on Thursday together with other relatives to identify and claim the remains.

The girl's uncle, identified only as Cheah, was distraught and questioned how anyone could have been so cruel to a small girl.

'Look at her body...look at her body...how could this happen,' he cried.

'I told her grandparents that I wanted to adopt her after I found out that her father had gone missing.

'But her mother's boyfriend persuaded the family that he would take care of the girl's needs. I miss her so much.'

The girl will be cremated in Cheras today.

THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK