A 66-year-old grandmother has recounted the heartbreaking final moments she spent with her 16-year-old granddaughter, who was found badly injured and covered in blood at a school in Yong Peng, Johor Bahru.
Irene Sofiya Mohd Khairool Faisal was found in the school hall at around 5.30pm on Saturday (Oct 3), after she failed to return home following an extra class.
Three male students, all aged 16 and who attended the same school as Irene, were detained by police several hours after her body was discovered.
The case is being investigated as murder, with police still working to establish the motive and circumstances surrounding the incident.
Malaysian police said Irene had suffered several injuries to her head and body and was pronounced dead at the scene.
An autopsy was conducted at Sultanah Nora Ismail Hospital in Batu Pahat on Oct 4.
According to The Star, Irene's grandmother, Jameyah Rabani, went to the school after two of the teenager's schoolmates went to her home looking for her.
The students were concerned because Irene's motorcycle was still at the school, but she had not returned home.
Jameyah then went to the school with her eldest daughter, Siti Nur Faeza Khyar, and the two students to search for Irene.
They eventually found the teenager lying in the school hall.
"She was still alive. I held her and called her name. She managed to look at my face before becoming limp and no longer moving," Jameyah said, according to The Star.
Jameyah said she had raised Irene since she was nine years old, after the teenager's mother died from liver cancer.
A Form Four student, Irene was described by relatives and classmates as a quiet, hardworking and high-achieving student.
Her aunt, Siti Nur Faeza, told The Star that Irene had hoped to become a doctor like her late mother.
The teenager had reportedly considered specialising in obstetrics and gynaecology, while also expressing an interest in public health.
Education Minister Datuk Seri Fadhlina Sidek said school records showed that Irene was a high-achieving student with no record of disciplinary problems, reported The New Straits Times.
"Feedback from the school also described her as a good student who was well-liked by her teachers and friends," she told a press conference on Monday (Oct 5).
Irene was her parents' only child and had been living with her maternal grandparents in Kampung Parit Selamat since her mother's death.
The three 16-year-old male students were detained in connection with the case, with one of them subsequently brought before the Batu Pahat Magistrate's Court and remanded for six days until Oct 9.
Police have said the motive and circumstances surrounding the incident have yet to be established.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he was deeply saddened by Irene's death and extended his condolences to her family.
In a Facebook post on Oct 4, Anwar said he had instructed the authorities to conduct an immediate, thorough and transparent investigation into the incident.
He said that if criminal elements were established, firm action should be taken in accordance with the law.
"The safety of our children is a shared responsibility. The government will not compromise in ensuring their safety and well-being are always maintained," he wrote in his post.
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