Madiun Murder Suspect Reported His Wife and Child Missing Last Month

Dwi Bagus, the suspect in the murders of Dini Hardiyanti, 30, and her four-year-old son, Arshaka Ghafa El Faezya, in Madiun, had previously joined in reporting the two victims missing to the police. The suspect, who was the victim’s unregistered husband, went with her family to file the missing-person report.

East Java Police Criminal Investigation Directorate’s Jatanras III Sub-Directorate head, AKBP Arbaridi Jumhur, said the report had led people to believe that the two victims were missing for about a month.

However, an investigation by East Java Police uncovered a number of inconsistencies, revealing the case as a murder.

“The suspect and the victim’s family, who were in Bogor, came to Madiun and went to Madiun City Police to report them missing. So for a month, they were indeed believed to have disappeared,” Jumhur said at East Java Police headquarters, as reported by detikJatim on Monday, 26 October 2026.

Jumhur explained that the suspect allegedly killed the victims following an argument at a hotel in Madiun city. The woman is believed to have been strangled at the hotel, while her son was allegedly strangled inside a car.

Police arrested the suspect in Jombang city on Sunday night, 25 October. He was then taken to East Java Police headquarters for further questioning.

Jumhur said investigators were still establishing the sequence of events, including where the victims were killed and where their bodies were disposed of. Police are also investigating how the suspect allegedly tried to conceal the crime.

“Today we are questioning him briefly and following up on the suspect’s statements about where he hid, the killings and the disposal of the bodies,” he said.

According to Jumhur, the suspect has so far claimed to have acted alone. Police are nevertheless investigating whether anyone else was involved.