Forensic Expert Details Identification of Skeletons Found in Burnt Kwitang Building

The major student demonstrations at the end of August 2025 descended into unrest in a number of areas.

One of these was the disturbance in front of the Mobile Brigade Corps Headquarters (Mako Brimob) in Kwitang, Central Jakarta, triggered by the death of an online motorcycle taxi driver named Affan Kurniawan, who was crushed by a Brimob tactical vehicle.

A number of vehicles and buildings in the surrounding Senen area of Central Jakarta were even set alight.

Following the incident, two people were listed as missing: Muhammad Farhan Hamid and Reno Syahputra Dewo.

Two months later, the public was shocked by the discovery of two badly burnt human skeletons in the Astra Credit Companies (ACC) building in Kwitang, Senen.

A female police forensic expert, Brigadier General Pol Dr dr Sumy Hastry Purwanti, revealed details about the victims found among the skeletons.

Initially, the police team received a number of names of people reported missing from the incident.

Upon hearing this, the Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team collected antemortem data (information prior to death), ranging from physical characteristics and age to the clothing and accessories last worn.

Beyond establishing the victims’ last known circumstances, this step was taken as preparation for the possibility that the missing persons had become casualties of the demonstration.

Ultimately, the discovery of the two skeletons in Kwitang matched the antemortem data that had been gathered.

However, to conclusively match the bodies with the missing persons, a DNA test is required.

“Two months later they were found, and we had data that he wore this necklace and so on. But for primary identification, especially as the bodies were in poor condition, confirmation must be done through DNA,” said dr Sumy Hastry Purwanti on the Kick Andy Show YouTube programme.

Primary identification can be carried out through matching teeth, fingerprints, or DNA.

According to dr Hastry, fingerprint examination was no longer possible because the victims had been burnt to a charred state.

“When I examined the bodies, based on their characteristics we determined they were male, young, and had indeed been burnt by fire. Why were they not visible at the time? The fire had already stopped and they were probably mixed in with piles of wood from the house,” the forensic expert explained.