Chronology of Toddler in Bantul Found Alone at Home with Body Bound

A three-year-old girl was found in a harrowing condition in a rented house in Bantul. Upon discovery, the child’s mouth, hands, and feet were bound with adhesive tape in a room located in the Kedaton area, Pleret, Bantul.

The victim was found by local residents after being left by her mother. The discovery of the bound child went viral on social media. According to reports from the ‘Waton Berkahi Gunungkidul’ Facebook group, the child’s father is currently working in Jakarta, leaving the child in the care of her mother.

On Monday, 1 June 2026, the landlord and witness, Mamat, explained that a fellow resident saw the mother leaving on a motorcycle on Monday afternoon without the child. After Maghrib, neighbours heard the faint sound of a child crying. Suspicious of the lack of response at the door, Mamat used a crowbar to pry open a window and sent a smaller resident inside to check the room.

Upon entering, they found the child in a corner of the room, wearing only clothes and a diaper, with her hands, feet, and mouth bound with clear adhesive tape. Fortunately, the tape on the mouth was slightly loose, allowing the child to cry, and the room’s air conditioning and fan were running, which may have prevented immediate heatstroke.

Residents immediately removed the tape and notified the local neighbourhood head (RT) and the police. On Tuesday, 2 June 2026, after the father in Jakarta contacted the mother, she reportedly returned at approximately 10:00 AM. The local neighbourhood head, Saiful, noted that the family had been renting the property since 2023 and that the mother rarely socialised with neighbours. The child has since been taken to Gunungkidul by a relative of the father, and the police are investigating the incident.