Little Aresha Case Suspect Who Skipped Official Summons Now Detained
A new suspect in the Little Aresha Daycare case in Yogyakarta, who had previously failed to attend a summons for questioning on Monday (6/7), has now been officially detained. The suspect was detained after undergoing questioning on Thursday (9/7).
Head of the Women and Children Protection Unit at the Yogyakarta Police Criminal Investigation Unit, Iptu Apri Sawitri, stated that the suspect’s excuse for missing the first summons was health reasons. “(The suspect) attended last Thursday and we immediately detained them,” she explained when contacted on Friday (10/7/2026). “(The suspect did not attend the first summons because they were) unwell,” Apri added.
Apri further stated that the next step for the 14 new suspects following their detention is further investigation to complete the case files before they are transferred to the Prosecutor’s Office. The case files for these 14 suspects are separate from the files of the 13 previous suspects, which have already been handed over to the Prosecutor’s Office. “Yes, (the next step is) completing the case files. The files are separate from the (13 suspects) previously,” said Apri.
Police had previously officially named 14 new suspects in the Little Aresha Daycare case. The 14 individuals, who were previously witnesses, consist of 10 caregivers, 2 administrative staff, one household staff member, and one security guard. Twelve of the 14 new suspects were immediately detained after their first questioning on Monday (6/7). Meanwhile, one suspect failed to attend the first summons, and another suspect is currently pregnant. “One did not comply with the investigator’s summons, the other is pregnant. (Both suspects are) caregivers,” Apri revealed when contacted on Tuesday (7/7).
“Twelve (suspects) have been detained, with 8 detained at the Yogyakarta Police Headquarters and 4 at the Wirobrajan Police Station,” Apri stated. The two suspects who have not yet been detained, according to Apri, are caregivers at Little Aresha Daycare. The pregnant suspect is required to report twice a week, while the suspect who did not attend the first examination was scheduled for a second summons. “(The suspect who missed the first summons) has a second summons on Thursday. (The pregnant suspect) must report on Mondays and Thursdays,” Apri explained.
Apri further elaborated that for the suspects who are caregivers, the alleged criminal acts are similar to those of the caregivers previously named as suspects. “The caregivers are the same as before; we previously named 11 caregivers and now there are 10, making a total of 21 caregivers. These caregivers are from the baby class up to the kindergarten class at the Little Aresha daycare,” said Apri. As for the other suspects, according to Apri, they are charged under the article concerning omission. “In the Child Protection Law, there is the word ‘allowing’. If someone knows about a criminal act, they are expected to report it to the police. Do not allow a suspected criminal act to occur,” Apri explained. “The criminal threat is the same, so the articles in the Child Protection Law, Article 81 and Article 76, state that placing, allowing, committing, so a person who places, allows, or commits and allows is subject to the same article,” she concluded.