Police officers inspect the scene where a boy was found dead in Prek Aeng commune in Chbar Ampov district on April 3. Facebook
Chbar Ampov district police are searching for suspects in the murder of a boy after he was found dead on the afternoon of April 2 in an area with tall grass in Phnom Penh’s Prek Aeng commune.
Chbar Ampov district police chief Mao Soeurt said the victim, 10, was a resident of Chrouy Ampil village in Kbal Koh commune.
“We are actively investigating this case by checking the security cameras on the roads and following other procedures in order to identify the assailant,”he said.
Prek Aeng commune police chief Chea Pisey said the parents of the victim told the police that their son had gone missing on the evening of March 31.
That same day they had filed a report with the Kbal Koh commune police and the police had then announced the boy was missing on Facebook, including via the Facebook pages of the Chbar Ampov district police and the Phnom Penh municipal police.
He added that the body was found on April 2 by a man out collecting bees who immediately reported it to the police.
Prek Aeng commune police and the Chbar Ampov district police chief were led to the body by the man. They were joined by technical specialists of the Phnom Penh municipal police who conducted a post-mortem forensic examination of the body.
The NGO Child Protection Unit (CPU), Ministry of Interior and Phnom Penh police have established a joint task force to investigate this apparent kidnapping and murder.
“The post-mortem examination showed that the front and back teeth of the victim were broken. They concluded that he had been hit in the face with a hard object, which pointed to murder,” he said.
The father of the victim, Chea Ponthka, 39, told The Post on April 4 that he had two sons. He said the deceased was a Grade 4 student at Mo Chhim Voan Primary School in Chrouy Ampil village.
Ponthka said that every day his son rode his bicycle with his brother to play football at the compound of Chroy Ampil pagoda. But on the evening of March 31, he stayed there later than his brother and never returned home.
“I was horrified to see my son lying dead. I started wailing because I could see right away that it was the same shoes and shirt my son had been wearing, even though there were serious injuries to his face.
“I couldn’t stop crying out of pity for my son,” he said.
He added that his children and his family have never had any quarrels with their neighbours at all and that he had no idea what would motivate someone to commit such a terrible crime.
