Boy, 6, found dead in Perak plantation drain hours after vanishing from home

KUALA LUMPUR, July 1 — A desperate search for a six-year-old boy who vanished from his home ended in tragedy after he was found dead in a drain at a nearby oil palm plantation in Perak.

The child had been reported missing yesterday evening after his father discovered the front door of their house in Kampung Baru, Sungai Sumun, Hutan Melintang, open and realised his son was nowhere to be found.

Firefighters, police, the Malaysian Civil Defence Force and members of the public launched an extensive search that stretched into the nearby plantation, with police deploying a K9 sniffer dog to help comb the area.

Perak Fire and Rescue Department assistant director (Operations) Sabarodzi Nor Ahmad said the department received an emergency call at 6.24pm.

“When rescuers arrived at the scene at 6.31pm, they were informed that the boy’s father had discovered his son missing after finding the front door of the house open and the child nowhere to be found.

“The father had searched around the house and the nearby oil palm plantation but was unable to locate him before lodging a police report at 3.30pm,” he said in a statement today.

As the search intensified, hope gradually gave way to heartbreak.

Sabarodzi said firefighters worked alongside police, Civil Defence personnel and local residents, while the police K9 unit searched the oil palm plantation behind the family’s home.

“Police also deployed a K9 sniffer dog to assist in the search of the oil palm plantation behind the family’s home.

“The boy was later found by members of the public in a drain of the plantation.

“Firefighters recovered the body and handed it over to the police for further investigation,” he said.

Authorities have not disclosed the cause of the child’s death, and police are continuing their investigation.