Police search for mystery psychic triple death probe

Police search for mystery psychic triple death probe

Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post/Bogor

"Probably, one or two days, I can't go home yet, because I have
to accompany a psychic from Yogyakarta, who will spend the night
in Sukarni's house. Don't tell anybody where I am," said the late
Mugiono in his last words to his second wife Onden, 35, over the
telephone on Monday evening.

Mugiono, 45, his sister Sukarni, 40, and younger brother
Narno, 35, were found dead on Thursday in Sukarni's house on Jl.
Siaga, Cimanadala village in Bogor regency.

Police said that there was an indication that they were
poisoned, because they all had traces of foam near the mouth,
facial discoloration and bloating of the abdomen.

Bogor Police chief of detectives Adj. Comr. Budi Sartono said
that they were still questioning several witnesses and that
evidence, including four glasses of coffee and some bread, had
been sent to a forensic laboratory for tests.

"We can't be sure yet as to the cause of death, so we will
wait for the laboratory results. And we haven't named any
suspects among the people we have interrogated. We just asked
them whether they saw another person in Sukarni's house," he
said, adding that they hoped to have more answers by Monday or
Tuesday.

He said that they were still searching for the man identified
as the "psychic", who was apparently at Sukarni's house.

Mugiono was a hard-working businessman, including a successful
restaurant owner, while his brother and sister helped him with
his other businesses.

He is survived by four children -- Imam, 12, Edi, 10, Andri,
8, and Kiki, 6, from his first wife Sarmi, whom he divorced just
six weeks ago. He married Onden while he was still legally
married to Sarmi.

"He has never been angry with others. He always just kept
silent if something was wrong," said Onden, who works at a nearby
market.

She said the last time that she saw her husband was on Monday
at their house just after 1 p.m.

"At 1 p.m., Sukarni called ... and I told Mugiono to go see
his sister. I asked him what was going on, but he just answered
that he would find out later from Sukarni," Onden said.

She said that on Monday she got the last call from her
husband.

"He said that they needed a psychic because Sukarni's new
meatball restaurant in Ciluar market was still very slow," she
said.

Onden said that she felt anxious, and had a "bad feeling"
shortly after the call. She tried to contact Sukarni's home
number but got no answer. Eventually, she told Chandra, an
employee at the restaurant, to go to Sukarni's house.

On Thursday, her worst fears were realized when she got a
message from Chandra that the three of them were dead.

Agus, one of Mugiono's fellow vendors at the market, said that
he was surprised that the three died in such a tragic way.

"I don't think that business competition would have prompted
someone to kill them, because they were all so nice to others,"
he told the Post.