Liputan6.com, Jakarta A 40-year-old father in South Jakarta attempted to kill his own life after allegedly killing his four children and locking their bodies inside the bedroom. The police suspected the children already died for days.
The neighbors notified the police after smelling strong smells around the family's home.
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All of the children were aged six, four, three, and one years old. Their bodies were already decomposing and suffering from bruises. The father, Panca Darmansyah, has been named as a suspect.
The Head of Kramat Jati Police Hospital, Brigadier General Hariyanto, estimated the victims died three to five days before they were found on Wednesday (6/12). Hariyanto also said the children died around the same time.
The head of criminal unit South Jakarta Metro Police, Bintoro, said that the murder began with the youngest one. The father killed his one-year-old first, and the eldest was killed the last.
All the children were suffocated by their own father's hands, and the father locked the bodies in the bedroom on Sunday (3/12).
During the press briefing, Bintoro seemed emotional when he was elaborating the infanticide.
"Sincerely, we the South Jakarta Metro Police are very grieving about this incident," said Bintoro.
The father is treated at the hospital after trying to take his own life. His condition has been improving, but he is now facing the death penalty for the murders.
Wife Traumatized
As per Saturday, it is still unknown what motivated the murder, but the murderer was reportedly fighting with his 30-year-old wife before the murder.
The police already made contact with the wife, but she was traumatized and unable to be questioned.
A local neighborhood leader suspected the couple fought because of economic problems. The couple also could not pay their rent for months.
The murderer used to be a driver, but became unemployed. His wife works in a private company.
The Ministry of Women Empowerment and Child Protection has voiced their support for the police to investigate this case and also other cases of domestic abuses.
kami berharap kematian ini menjadi pelajaran berharga untuk Semua orang untuk sama-sama menjaga anak-anak kita terhindar dari kejadian kejadian yang mungkin akan mengalami nasib yang sama," kata dia.
"We hope these deaths are becoming a precious lesson for everyone to protect our kids together to avoid the incidents which might lead to the similar fate," said Nahar, Deputy of Protection for Children from the ministry.
Ady Anugrahadi and Devira Prastiwi contributed to this report.
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