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.