A young boy was found dead with his chest cut open on Sunday, in a rice field in Mondulkiri province’s Koh Nhek district.

Mondulkiri police serious crimes bureau head Hou Dara said on Monday that police were still probing the death and motive behind the murder of the 11-year-old from the district’s Sre Huy commune.

“We found some clues at the crime scene, but police cannot make assumptions before completing investigations,” he said.

Police found many cuts on the boy’s head and body but have yet to determine if he was stabbed to death with a sickle that was found at the crime scene. An initial forensic examination said that the boy’s death was caused by a hard object.

Lien was herding his buffalos before the incident and his family has told police they did not have any conflict with anyone in the village.