Retarded daughter killed by her troubled mother

JAKARTA (JP): A troubled mother slashed the throat of her own retarded daughter in her house on Jl. Mandala Barat in Tomang, West Jakarta, on Saturday to "end" the 20-year-old girl's sorrow.

Tanjung Duren Police chief Capt. Eko Budi S. said on Saturday that the mother, identified as Nancy Gunawan, 52, cut her daughter Vivin's throat with a knife at about 1 p.m.

"Nancy reported to the police that she felt sorry for Vivin, who could do nothing without other people's help," Eko said.

He said Vivin lived with the mother, father and her only elder sister at the house.

The murder happened when the father, identified as Gunawan, and Vivin's sister were out at Senen market in Central Jakarta shopping, Eko said.

After killing her daughter, Nancy washed the blood-stained floor in Vivin's bedroom, he said, adding that she then left her house and visited the neighborhood chief, Buyung, to tell him what had happened.

Nancy fluently told Buyung that she had just killed Vivin, asking the neighborhood chief to check whether the girl was already dead, he said.

She told him that she was distraught and tired of looking after the daughter since her maid went to her hometown for Idul Fitri holiday and never came back.

"I felt pity for Vivin. She could not eat by herself nor put on clothes nor take a bath without any help. I preferred to end her life," Nancy was quoted as saying.

Buyung then reported the murder to the nearby police station whose officers then rushed to the scene and found Vivin's body lying on the floor.

The officers then arrested Nancy, who was still waiting at Buyung's house, and confiscated a knife which was believed used in the murder.

Eko said that on Saturday evening the police were still questioning the suspect.

"We are still questioning her about her motives for the killing. We will ask a psychologist for help in questioning the suspect," Eko said.

He said Nancy told the police about the chronology of the murder smoothly and without any apparent guilty feeling.

Nancy admitted that she actually wanted to commit suicide after killing her daughter, but drew back from doing so, he said.

Vivin's body was sent to the morgue of the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital for a post mortem examination.

Besides the slashed throat, several wounds were also found on Vivin's fingers, an employee of the morgue who asked for anonymity said.

"Probably, the victim tried to catch the knife used to kill her," he said. (jun)