PETALING JAYA: Police believe that 6-year-old Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matiin was killed elsewhere before his body was dumped along the banks of a stream in Damansara Damai.
They also believe that he died of strangulation.
Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director Datuk Seri Mohd Suhaily Mohd Zain said this was based on the fact that the authorities, with the help of the local community, had canvassed the area spanning 300-metres over two days without finding the body.
The child's body, he said, was only found on the second night of the search in an area they had previously covered.
"Based on that, we can surmise that the boy wasn't killed at the site.
"He was killed elsewhere and his body placed at the scene. Some indicators on this were also offered by the post-mortem examination report.
"What we had suspected earlier was verified by the outcome of the post-mortem examination report.
"The Selangor police chief (Datuk Hussein Omar Khan) had earlier confirmed that the autopsy report showed that the boy had ligature marks," he told reporters at the Petaling Jaya police headquarters tonight.
He also believed that the boy had been dead for around 48 hours before the body was discovered.
He ruled out drowning as a possible cause of death.
He said it is too early to say who the suspect is. However, Suhaili said it is likely that the suspect is familiar with the area.
"For someone to be able to go there, I think the suspect is exposed to the area."
He said the area where Zayn Rayyan was found was not somewhere with plenty of foot traffic and rather secluded.
"From what I was told, it is not a daily passageway," he said.
On whether the suspect could be from the area itself, he replied that it was possible.
"Maybe. We do not rule out the possibility."
He said police have so far only recorded statements from Zayn Rayyan's family.
"The case was only reclassified as murder today. The angle of the investigation only changed some five hours ago,":
He said while the area does not have any closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, police will canvass the area again.
"The investigation will backtrack as much as we can to get near to the incident."
Suhaili was also asked if there were any other injuries apart the ligature wounds.
He replied that the victim had "defensive wounds."
"I feel that in the interest of protecting the dignity of the deceased as well as his family, I can leave it at that," he said.
Suhaili appealed to the public to alert the police if they have any information.
"On behalf of the parents, I am appealing to residents here. If they have witnessed anything or have any information, no matter how small, to come forward and help us uncover this case.
"This is a heinous crime and will do all we can to track down the perpetrator."
Zayn Rayyan went missing on Tuesday afternoon after his mother had fetched him from school. She was walking upstairs with him to their Idaman Apartments unit in Damansara Damai when she realised that he wasn't with her.
The boy, who is autistic, was also not at the nearby playground when the mother went to check.
She then lodged a police report.
A massive search and rescue operation was launched comprising multi-agencies including the local neighbourhood watch.
Searchers, including police's K9 unit, had combed a 300-metre area.
His body, still in his school uniform, was found along the banks of a stream some 200 metres from where he was last seen.
Police had initially classified the case as sudden death. However, a post-mortem examination today showed that he had ligature marks on his neck and body.
at the Kota Damansara Muslim cemetery tonight.