M'sian man, 43, found dead & naked in drain, his family disputes police's finding he fell in while drunk

The family of a 43-year-old car spray painter found dead and naked in a drain in Johor Bahru, Malaysia are disputing the police's preliminary findings that he fell in while drunk.

His older brother said he suspects that his sibling may have been killed.

Peng Qingfu (transliterated) was found at around 6pm on Jul. 28 in a back alley behind a busy hawker centre in Taman Johor Jaya, according to Sin Chew Daily.

Members of the public went to investigate a stench coming from the drain in the back alley and found his body wedged in the narrow drain opening, with only his head and hands visible.

Police estimated he had been dead for three to four days by the time he was found.

Why family is suspicious

Peng’s brother, 48, said he claimed the body on Aug. 1.

He then returned to the back alley with a religious practitioner to perform prayers at the site.

While there, he examined the drain opening and the clutter around it, comparing what he saw against photographs taken when the body was found.

He then concluded Peng’s death was not a simple case of falling into a drain while drunk, Sin Chew Daily reported.

He also checked CCTV footage from the back alleys of nearby factories himself, but the spot where the body was found was not covered by any camera.

The distance problem

Peng’s brother told China Press that the deceased had no fixed address and had spent the past two months mainly around the Jalan Dedap commercial area in Taman Johor Jaya.

Peng also had no means of transport, and the back alley where the body was found is at least a 30 to 40-minute walk from Jalan Dedap.

Peng’s brother told China Press:

"My brother had no means of transport, and the back alley where the body was found is far from the Dedap commercial area, at least a 30 to 40 minute walk. The family suspects his death was not simply a case of falling into a drain while drunk. There may be more to it.”

Appeal for witness

He also told China Press that a friend had seen Peng at around 7pm on Jul. 18, near a lok lok (fried snack) van outside a coffee shop along Jalan Dedap.

Peng’s brother said the back alley sits directly behind a busy food centre, and believes someone may have seen Peng in the area around Jul. 24.

He has appealed for nearby businesses and the hawker centre to provide any CCTV footage or leads to the police.

Who he was

According to Sin Chew Daily, Peng was divorced.

His two children are cared for by his ex-wife's family.

Peng had no fixed address and moved around depending on where he was working.

The brothers were not in frequent contact, but met a few times a year, last seeing each other in February.

The brother told China Press that he last spoke to Peng in March, and only learned of his death when police contacted the family.

The brother acknowledged to Sin Chew Daily that Peng liked to drink, and would cause trouble when drunk.

What the family could not fathom was why the body was found completely unclothed, he told China Press, adding that police had not offered an explanation.

What the family wants

According to Sin Chew Daily, the death certificate lists the cause of death as falling into a drain, without specifying what killed him.

The full autopsy report will take two to three months.

The brother has sought help from the Johor Jaya assemblyman, hoping police will investigate Peng’s death more thoroughly.