The child had also never been seen playing in the playground.
The babysitter of the late Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matin told the Sessions Court on Wednesday (Feb 19) that she heard the autistic boy’s voice, as if he was trying to break free from someone, while searching for him near Block R of Idaman Apartments, Damansara Damai, on the evening he was reported missing.
Auni Afiqah Abas, 30, was cross-examined by defence lawyer Haresh Mahadevan, representing the boy’s parents, Ismanira Abdul Manaf and Zaim Ikhwan Zahari, on the eighth day of the trial before Judge Dr Syahliza Warnoh. The couple faces charges of neglect.
The 17th prosecution witness confirmed she had previously stated in a live TikTok interview that Zayn Rayyan’s voice sounded like he was attempting to escape from someone.
Haresh: So, the voice you heard on the afternoon of Dec 5, 2023, was that of the late Zayn Rayyan, correct?
Auni Afiqah: Yes, that is correct.
She added that she heard the boy’s voice while his parents and six-year-old sibling were at the police station filing a missing person report. She further confirmed that other children, besides herself and her sibling, also heard Zayn Rayyan’s voice that evening and that she had informed the police when giving her statement.
When asked by deputy public prosecutor Aqharie Durranie Aziz how she could identify the voice, Auni Afiqah replied, “Because I took care of him, and he had made that sound before.”
When pressed on what she meant by “Zayn Rayyan’s voice,” she described it as “a sound like errrrrrrrrrrr….”
Earlier, Auni Afiqah, a resident of Block F, stated that Ismanira had informed her via WhatsApp at 1pm on Dec 5, 2023, that Zayn Rayyan was missing. She advised her to search the ground floor of the building.
At around 6.30pm, she and her sibling searched for him near Block R, calling out his name.
Auni Afiqah, who had cared for Zayn Rayyan and his younger brother since mid-2022, described the boy as gentle, cheerful, and non-aggressive.
“He was nonverbal, in his own world, and could only say ‘Mommy’ to refer to Ismanira. When he had a tantrum, he would sit down and make hand movements. However, when I said ‘Mommy,’ he would calm down,” she said.
She looked after six children, including Zayn Rayyan and his brother.
Another witness, Rashidah Rajali, 37, a neighbour of Zayn Rayyan’s parents, testified that she had never seen him playing at the playground of Idaman Apartments before or on the day he went missing.
“My children often play at the playground in the evenings, and I always accompany them. However, I have never seen Zayn Rayyan playing there. I have three children who frequently ride bicycles along the corridor, yet I have never seen him playing in the corridor either, even though we live on the same floor,” she said.
On Feb 5, former investigating officer at the Petaling Jaya District Police Headquarters, Inspector Nina Syamimi Syamsuddin, 33, testified that during her recorded statement, Ismanira had claimed Zayn Rayyan refused to enter their home upon returning that day as he wanted to play on the swing.
According to Nina Syamimi, Ismanira said she was climbing the stairs while Zayn Rayyan walked behind her, but when she no longer heard his footsteps, she turned around and realised he was gone.
“At the time of the incident, the complainant (Ismanira) said she was holding shopping bags in both hands. When she realised she couldn’t hear her child’s footsteps, she placed the bags on the stairs, turned around, and discovered he was missing. She searched around Block R until 1pm before contacting her husband,” she said.
However, Rashidah testified that when she saw Ismanira on the staircase of Block R at around 12.15pm, she did not see her carrying any shopping bags, only a blue and red bag and a sling bag.
“I bumped into Ismanira while I was heading downstairs to send my eldest child to school, and she was going up. She was wearing a black headscarf, a white blouse, and either black palazzo pants or a skirt. She was looking down, and we did not speak,” she said.
Rashidah saw her again at 12.35pm when she returned home after picking up her other two children from school.
“At that time, Zayn Rayyan’s mother was coming down from the first floor while I was going up from the ground floor. When I got home, my husband called to ask about our children and whether they had eaten. He also told me that Zayn Rayyan was missing.
“When I saw Ismanira again, she was wearing a dark-patterned headscarf, and her clothes were different from before. Her face showed no expression, and I did not speak to her,” she added.