Unidentified man's body found floating in Kendari Bay

The Criminal Investigation Unit (Satreskrim) of the Kendari Police is investigating the discovery of an unidentified man’s body in the Kendari Bay area, Southeast Sulawesi.

Head of Satreskrim Kendari Police, Kompol Welliwanto Malau, said on Friday that the body was found floating near the coast, specifically under mangrove trees on Jalan Madusila, Wundumbatu Village, Poasia District, at around 6.30 a.m. local time.

“The discovery was first reported by a witness who was in the vicinity. When found, the victim was face down and the body had begun to swell,” said Welliwanto.

He explained that the deceased man was found wearing a green T-shirt and matching-coloured shorts.

According to witness Ahmad Anwari (50), the discovery began when he was heading to the bathroom and passed through the karate practice area.

“The witness saw a suspicious object floating under the mangrove trees towards the sea,” he said.

Ahmad then called his colleague, Muhammad Jabal Nur (26), to confirm the finding.

After confirming that the object was a human body, the two reported the incident to a local business owner, who then relayed it to Poasia Police personnel.

“Upon receiving the report from residents, Poasia Police duty personnel arrived at the crime scene at around 6.50 a.m. local time to secure the location and put up police tape,” he said.

Personnel from the Port Area Police and the Inafis team of Kendari Police later arrived at the scene to collect data and conduct a crime scene investigation.

The body was evacuated at around 7.45 a.m. local time by the Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team from Bhayangkara Hospital Kendari and taken to the hospital for further handling.

“Officers in the field have recorded the identities of witnesses, conducted a crime scene investigation, and submitted a request for a Visum et Repertum to determine the exact cause of death,” said Welliwanto.

Police are urging members of the public who have lost a family member matching the description of wearing a green T-shirt and shorts to report immediately to Kendari Police or Bhayangkara Hospital Kendari.