While folks animatedly discuss who did it and why, it is the families of the victims however, who carry the full weight of the pain – first of losing someone dear to them and secondly, of never finding closure.
Here are just a handful of unresolved murders due to lack of conclusive evidence. Perhaps the truth may come to light someday.
1. Audrey Melissa Bathinathan
In this heart-wrenching 1999 murder case, a 17-year-old student was kidnapped, assaulted and killed whilst heading to school in the early hours of the day.
A student of Methodist Girls’ School in Kuala Lumpur, Audrey Melissa Bathinathan was the only child of graphics designer, Margaret Francis.
On May 17, she left for school, walking with a friend for a time, before separating and heading off on her own way.
This was the last time she was seen alive and Margaret grew concerned when Audrey failed to return home that day.
School friends reported that she had been absent from school, which resulted in her family frantically searching for her.
Unfortunately, her body was found the next day beside a Tenaga Nasional substation on Jalan Kinabalu, still in her school uniform.
Two drug addicts in the area were promptly arrested by the police, but subsequently released when there was insufficient evidence to tie them to the crime. No further arrests were made.
2. Jean Perera Sinappa
When the story of this murder first made the news, it rapidly became the talk of the town because of the mysterious circumstances behind it.
On April 6, 1979, Jean Perera Sinappa, a former beauty queen, was found stabbed to death in a car parked beside the Federal Highway.
Close by was the unconscious S Karthigesu, her former brother-in-law and fiancé, who claimed to have been knocked out while relieving himself.
However, police investigations found no evidence of Karthigesu sustaining any blow to the head, or any trace of urine at the scene.
Investigations also found that Jean had been exchanging love letters with a Sri Lankan doctor, leading them to consider jealousy as a possible motive.
Whatever the truth, Karthigesu was arrested for over two years before being acquitted in 1981, with Jean’s murder becoming a cold case.
3. Xu Jian Huang
In his last call to his father, 14-year-old Chinese national Xu Jian Huang told him: “Papa, I’m very frightened. They are going to beat me.”
Three days later, on Sept 26, 2004, the teenager, who had been living with his Malaysian uncle since 2002, was found dead in the swimming pool of the latter’s Ampang home.
This was no accidental drowning as the boy’s limbs were bound and his body was bruised and battered.
The uncle, Koh Kim Teck, and two of his employees were arrested, but ultimately, all three were acquitted in 2010 due to the prosecution’s failure to clear many unanswered questions.
With the case remaining unsolved even today, Koh disappeared from the public eye and has not been seen since then.
4. May Goh Lee Fang
The idea of an assault and murder taking place inside a busy shopping mall without anyone noticing anything is a frightening one.
Unfortunately, this was the fate of May Goh Lee Fang, 26, who was found dead on Feb 17, 2005, at the back of her newly opened boutique in a mall in Petaling Jaya.
In addition to multiple stab wounds and signs that she had been sexually assaulted, there was a stranger element to the crime.
Despite the valuables present at the crime scene, nothing had been stolen except for the victim’s handphone.
A businessman was picked up by police to assist with investigations, but was released after an alibi cleared his name. The case has remained unsolved.
5. Noritta Samsuddin
A marketing executive, the 22-year-old Noritta Samsuddin frequently received offers of modelling gigs on account of her good looks.
Unfortunately, any possible modelling career came to an abrupt halt when she was found dead in a Damansara condominium on Dec 5, 2003.
Her body was found on a bed, with her limbs bound by wire and her mouth gagged with a towel.
Surprisingly enough, a possible suspect was seen leaving her room, with Noritta’s housemates reporting that the stranger had a strong body odour.
Her ex-boyfriend, Hanif Basree Abdul Rahman, was named as the main suspect of the case, but by 2004, he was acquitted due to insufficient evidence.
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