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Sukabumi Police Probe Death of Boy, 12, Who Named Stepmother in Hospital Video

Police have opened a criminal investigation pending autopsy and forensic findings.

Overview

  • Nizam Syafei died on February 19 in Sukabumi, West Java, after doctors found severe burns to his oesophagus consistent with ingestion of scalding water.
  • A video recorded shortly before his death shows the 12-year-old pointing to his stepmother and saying "Mummy" when asked who harmed him.
  • Hospital staff reported injuries across his body that they said were consistent with physical abuse.
  • Sukabumi Police Criminal Investigation Unit chief AKP Hartono said the investigation is ongoing and that officers are awaiting forensic results, with no public charges announced.
  • The boy’s father, Anwar Satibi, said he filed a 2025 police complaint over alleged domestic violence that was mediated, and he recounted being told of a fever the night before finding his son with burns and blisters.