PETALING JAYA: Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matiin, an autistic boy reported missing yesterday afternoon in Damansara Damai, was found dead near a river close to his residence at 10 pm.
The body of the six-year-old was discovered by a group of residents conducting a search operation.
The victim was found lying near the river, approximately 200 meters from his house at Apartment Idaman.
So far, the police have closed off the trail from the residential area to the location where the victim's body was found.
Petaling Jaya police chief, Assistant Commissioner Mohamad Fakhrudin Abdul Hamid, who was present at the scene, confirmed the discovery of the victim's body.
"I can't comment further as we have just found the victim's body and we are currently in the process of investigating the surrounding area where the body was found," he told Berita Harian, which was also involved in the search and rescue operation.
Zayn Rayyan was last seen entering the jungle area near the apartments.
His disappearance was noticed by his mother as they climbed the stairs to return to their third-floor apartment around 12:30 pm.
Ismanira Abdul Manaf, 28, said that after losing her son, she tried to search the surrounding area but failed before informing her husband and local residents to help find Zayn Rayyan.
"Yesterday afternoon, some children returning from school informed us that they saw my son entering the jungle area.
"However, when the Fire and Rescue Department and the police's K9 unit tried to search in that area, they reported finding no footprints or any clues indicating that my son was there," she said during an interview at the search site today.
