Couple's search for lost baby ends at city morgue

Couple's search for lost baby ends at city morgue

JAKARTA (JP): A baby boy reported to have been missing from
his parents' house in Bintaro, South Jakarta, since Monday, was
found among unidentified bodies in the morgue at Cipto
Mangunkusumo General Hospital (RSCM) on Wednesday.

The baby's father, Supendi, 32, and his wife Hartini had given
up their search for the missing eight-month-old baby, Maulana.

"I'm sad, but I feel sadder for my wife, who still can't
believe that Maulana has passed away," he said.

Maulana was reportedly found floating in the Pesanggrahan
river downstream from Supendi's house, which lies about one
kilometer away from the river channel.

"There is no way my son could have walked that far because he
could only crawl," Supendi, who works as an ojek (motorcycle
taxi) driver, told reporters.

Maulana was breast fed by Hartini on Monday afternoon while
her eldest son slept beside them, said Supendi, who was not at
home when Maulana was first found to be missing.

The mother and baby then fell asleep. Hartini was later
wakened by a sudden downpour and she then rushed outside to
gather clothes which had been left outside to dry.

"When she returned, Maulana had gone. My wife started
searching for him, thinking that he could only crawl and must
therefore be somewhere in the house," he said.

News of the baby's disappearance soon spread among the
neighbors on Jl. Mawar, where the couple lived.

Several neighbors offered to help with the search, and
continued to comb the area until around midnight, Supendi said,
adding that they had also searched along the river bank, but to
no avail.

He later reported the disappearance at a nearby police
subprecinct.

One day later, a relative who worked at the hospital contacted
him to say that a baby boy had been brought into the morgue.

However, Supendi was reluctant to check and see if it was his
son because he believed that Maulana was still alive and had at
worst been kidnapped and sold.

"I kept looking for Maulana and asking people if they had seen
my boy. I did that while I was working as well," he said.

Despairing at being unable to find his son, Supendi eventually
decided to go to the morgue, where he found him.

An official at the morgue said the baby had been sent to the
morgue by officers from Pesanggrahan police subprecinct on
Tuesday afternoon. (emf)