M'sia police confirm body found in Banting river is 15-year-old girl after DNA test

Police in Selangor have confirmed that the decomposed body found in a river in Banting on Dec. 28, 2024, belongs to 15-year-old Yap Xin Yuan.

According to Malaysian media reports, the confirmation was obtained via a DNA test conducted on the remains.

Police had already informed Yap's family of the DNA analysis results on the afternoon of Jan. 2.

Her remains will be returned to her family on the evening of Jan. 2, police added.

According to Malaysian media China Press and Sin Chew Daily, Yap's 16-year-old boyfriend was arrested for assisting with murder investigations.

Murder investigations ongoing but motive unknown

Yap had been missing for 10 days before the discovery of the body.

Her family, worried, had put out a call on social media and reported her as missing to the police.

The discovery of the body in Sungai Changgang in Banting by the police on Dec. 28 then escalated Yap's missing case to a murder investigation.

Yap's body was taken to the Banting Hospital for a post-mortem examination.

The motive for the murder and other aspects of the case are still under investigation, Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said.

Boyfriend reportedly confessed to dumping body

Both China Press and Sin Chew Daily reported that the boyfriend confessed to dumping her body into the river with the help of his family.

According to both papers, sources revealed that the boyfriend claimed they had drunk beverages laced with drugs together, but Yap ended up dying.

He claimed that he panicked and asked his family for help, which led to the decision to dump her body in the river at Sungei Changgang.

Along with Yap's 16-year-old boyfriend, his 20-year-old brother and his 51-year-old father were also arrested on Dec. 29.

Top photo from China Press & Sin Chew Daily.