Five New Suspects in Little Aresha Daycare Violence Case to Be Questioned Tomorrow

Five new suspects in the child abuse case at the Little Aresha daycare in Yogyakarta will undergo their first examination as suspects tomorrow. The five individuals are teachers, caregivers, and a household staff member at the daycare.

“Tomorrow, Tuesday, is the first summons for the five suspects,” explained Iptu Apri Sawitri, Head of the Women and Children Protection Unit at the Yogyakarta City Police Criminal Investigation Unit, when contacted on Monday (27/7/2026).

Apri stated that the naming of these new suspects was carried out through a case review process by the investigative team, based on the results of witness examinations and the evidence collected.

Apri added that three of the five new suspects were previously witnesses during the naming of the earlier 14 suspects.

“Yes, the suspects have increased by five people: two kindergarten teachers, two caregivers, and one household staff member,” Apri clarified.

“Of the five new suspects, three previously held witness status. Of the 17 people examined, 14 were already named suspects during the second phase of suspect designations. Now, the remaining three have followed as suspects. Those three are two kindergarten teachers and one caregiver. The development of the investigation into these three new suspects led to the naming of two more individuals, namely one caregiver and one household staff member,” she elaborated.

With this latest designation, the Yogyakarta City Police have now conducted three phases of naming suspects, totalling 32 individuals.

Initially, 13 suspects were named, and their case files have already been submitted to the prosecutor’s office. Subsequently, police named 14 additional suspects in the Little Aresha daycare case. These 14 suspects, 10 of whom were previously witnesses, consisted of caregivers, two administrative staff, one household staff member, and one security guard.

Those 14 new suspects underwent their first examination on Monday (6/7). After the examination of the 14 suspects is completed, Apri explained that her team must still conduct a case review before proceeding with detention.

“For these 14 suspects, we are still conducting examinations. Regarding detention, we will first hold a case review or a meeting among police officials,” Apri explained during a meeting at the Yogyakarta City Police headquarters on Monday (6/7).

For the suspects who worked as caregivers, Apri stated that the alleged criminal acts are similar to those of the caregivers previously named as suspects.

“The caregivers are the same as the previous ones. We had previously named 11 caregivers, and now 10 more, bringing the total number of caregivers to 21. These caregivers are from the baby class up to the kindergarten class at the Little Aresha daycare,” Apri said.

Meanwhile, the other suspects are being charged under articles concerning negligence.

“In the Child Protection Law, there is the term ‘allowing’. A person who is aware of a criminal act should be expected to report it to the police. Do not allow a suspected criminal act to occur,” Apri explained.

“Yes, the criminal threat is the same, falling under the Child Protection Law, specifically Article 81 and Article 76. Article 76 states that placing, allowing, or committing an act, as well as allowing it, all fall under the same article,” she concluded.