Woman Found Dead at Ex-Husband's Home, Police Investigate Cause of Death

A woman identified by the initials W (35), also known as Lauren, was found dead in the bathroom of her ex-husband’s house in the Bumi Asri Housing Complex, Medan Helvetia District, Medan City, on Sunday (2/8) at around 4.30 p.m. local time. The victim is suspected to have died from a gunshot wound from a service firearm belonging to her ex-husband, Brigadier I, a member of the Medan Sunggal Police Sector.

North Sumatra Police Head of Public Relations, Senior Commissioner Ferry Walintukan, stated that the victim had come to her ex-husband’s house to discuss the possibility of reconciliation. Whilst at the house, the victim allegedly took the brigadier’s service weapon, which was stored in a bag on a table. ‘Without the owner’s knowledge, the victim then entered the bathroom,’ Ferry said on Monday (3/8). A single gunshot was heard shortly afterwards. Brigadier I, who was in the living room, immediately checked the bathroom and found the victim had died.

Ferry stated that based on the initial investigation, no arguments or quarrels were found to have occurred between the victim and the brigadier prior to the incident. However, investigators are still looking into the exact cause of the victim’s death. ‘This information is still preliminary and we are awaiting the results of further investigation,’ he said. As part of the investigation process, Brigadier I is being examined by the North Sumatra Police’s Profession and Security Division regarding the supervision and storage of his service firearm. Meanwhile, the Medan Police Forensic Identification team has processed the crime scene and taken the body to Bhayangkara Hospital Medan for an autopsy.

Separately, the Head of Neighbourhood VIII in Cinta Damai Village, Sulaiman, confirmed the crime scene investigation at the house. He said he received information from the Medan Helvetia Police Sector at around 5.30 p.m. local time. ‘We were called by the Medan Helvetia Police at around 5.30 p.m. and were told there was a suspected suicide. It was raining heavily and flooding at the time, so we only arrived at the location about an hour later. When we arrived, the police and forensic team were already at the scene, and the body was being placed into an ambulance,’ he said. According to Sulaiman, the two-storey house belongs to Harefa, the parent of Brigadier I and the victim’s former parent-in-law. The homeowner was reportedly in Jakarta at the time of the incident. Based on gathered information, Brigadier I and the victim’s child were in the house when the incident occurred. Police are continuing their investigation to determine the cause of the victim’s death, including examining whether there were any violations of service firearm storage procedures.