Seven Months On, Police Insist They Are Going All Out to Hunt Down Retired Teacher's Killer

The Lima Puluh Kota Police are still working to thoroughly investigate the murder case of Lidia, a retired teacher in Talago, Guguak District, Lima Puluh Kota Regency, West Sumatra. Despite seven months having passed and facing a number of technical obstacles in the field, the police have confirmed that the investigation is continuing in an all-out manner based on scientific evidence.

Lima Puluh Kota Police Chief, AKBP Syaiful Wachid, revealed that his ranks, together with the Criminal Investigation Unit and the Guguak Police Sector, have gathered various initial clues since receiving the report. To date, investigators have examined dozens of witnesses to delve deeper into the incident.

‘Efforts by the Lima Puluh Kota Police are being carried out professionally, measurably, and based on scientific evidence alongside manual investigations. We have secured the crime scene, conducted a thorough crime scene investigation by the Inafis team, performed an autopsy, and examined as many as 32 witnesses,’ Syaiful said when contacted on Monday (3/8/2026).

Regarding the testing of evidence at the forensic laboratory, Syaiful explained one of the technical obstacles faced by the investigation team. A blood sample found and collected at the crime scene was declared damaged, meaning it could not be read optimally.

Meanwhile, based on the results of a medical examination and autopsy by a forensic doctor, the victim was declared to have died from a lack of oxygen in the blood (anoxic anaemia) following violence.

Concerning the number of suspected perpetrators, Syaiful explained that the police are not limiting themselves to a single speculation, whether it was a lone actor or more than one person. He stressed that the investigators’ current focus is on gathering strong evidence to point towards the perpetrator’s identity before developing the case further.

‘There are still many possibilities regarding the number of perpetrators. The important thing is that we focus first on finding evidence that leads to the perpetrator, then develop it to the maximum,’ he said.

The police are also maintaining intensive communication with the victim’s family to convey every development in the case and to follow up on information from the public.

‘Our communication with the victim’s family is very good. We convey every progress, and we collect and follow up on any meaningful information,’ he stressed.

Previously, the retired teacher with the initials LI (61) was found dead in the yard of her home in Jorong Talago, Kenagarian VII Koto Talago, Guguak District, Lima Puluh Kota Regency, West Sumatra, on Friday (19/12/2025).

Based on the initial chronology, the incident began around 4.20 a.m. WIB when the victim’s husband, YZ (62), went to the mosque for dawn prayers. The victim was at home alone and planned to follow later. Around 5.20 a.m. WIB, the husband returned home and found the electrical fuse had tripped. After turning the power back on, a witness named Risnal, who had come to pick up a bag, saw the victim lying in the yard wearing a purple prayer garment. The victim’s face was covered in blood and she was motionless. The witness immediately shouted for help from neighbours before reporting the incident to the Guguak Police Sector at 6.45 a.m. WIB.

Personnel from the Criminal Investigation Unit and the Intelligence and Security Unit of the Lima Puluh Kota Police immediately processed the crime scene. From the location, police secured a number of items, including a purple prayer garment, blood-stained tissues, a gold earring, and a sling bag containing cash and the victim’s medication.

Based on an initial medical examination by Doctor Yobi from the Padang Kandis Community Health Centre, signs of violence were found on the victim’s body. There were open wounds suspected to be caused by a sharp object on the forehead, chin, ears, and lips. In addition, bruises were found on the chest and both hands of the victim.

The investigation is still ongoing intensively but faces a number of significant obstacles in the field. The victim’s son, Adif Putra Zodia, suspects his mother’s death may be linked to an agrarian conflict she faced several months prior. Local residents admit to being haunted by anxiety because the perpetrator remains a mystery and has not yet been apprehended by the police. The murder case in Jorong Talago has become a public focus in West Sumatra as the perpetrator has still not been identified. The case is being handled by a joint team led by the Head of Criminal Investigation Unit and involving the Head of the Intelligence and Security Unit and the Guguak Police Sector Chief.