Housewife found dead in Cikarang

Housewife found dead in Cikarang

JAKARTA (JP): A 25-year-old housewife was found dead in her
house made out of bamboo matting in Cikarang, Bekasi, on Saturday
hanging from a curtain.

Her husband, Endang, 28, a secondhand goods peddler, was away
in Depok earning money for his one-child family when the body of
Esih binti Lamri was found by one of their neighbors at 7 a.m.

Asum, the deceased's nephew, said the neighbors rushed to get
into the house after being alerted by the unceasing crying of
Esih's son, Deden, 3.

"She was found hanging in the living room of the house by a
green cloth used as a curtain on the front window," he said.

Asum strongly believed that his aunt had been murdered because
some bruises were found on Esih's face and dried blood on both
thighs.

According to Asum, his aunt's husband spent most of his days
in Depok looking for secondhand goods, going from door to door
with his cart in an attempt to earn money for his family.

"Endang would only go home if he had enough money," he said.

The deceased was often alone with her son in the tiny house in
Cikarang.

Esih's relatives packed Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital,
Central Jakarta, on Saturday where the deceased had to undergo a
postmortem examination.

Until late afternoon, the result of the examination remained
unknown.

Like Asum, the dead woman's relatives also believed that it
was unlikely for Esih to commit suicide.

"She was a solemn wife and she had a good relationship with
her husband as well as other people," said Encun, an uncle of the
deceased.

"The police have to find who did this to her, they (Esih and
her family) never give trouble to anyone," he said.

In response, Cikarang police chief First Lt. Sukatna promised
to assign his men to comb the neighborhood area to find clues
that could lead to an explanation of Esih's death.

The officer believed that the suspect, if any crime existed,
must be the deceased's close neighbor, or at least someone who
was already familiar with the deceased's family as there was no
sign of theft found at the scene.

"Esih's house is fairly remote from other houses, and they're
too poor to be robbed. So it's very possible that the suspect is
from a nearby area, someone who knows in detail about the house
and its inhabitants," Sukatna told The Jakarta Post.

Police suspected the death might have taken place between
midnight and dawn, when there was no witness and Esih's son was
asleep.

"However, we're open to any information to help us solve this
incident," he said. (emf)