PETALING JAYA: Police are looking into possible negligence that led to the death of an 11-year-old child, believed to be from methadone exposure, with two other siblings still receiving treatment.
Selangor police chief Shazeli Kahar said investigations revealed that the methadone belonged to the children’s father and had been obtained legally as part of his prescribed treatment.
“The medication was for the father’s personal use. There is a possibility of negligence, perhaps in the haste of handling it or due to other factors, which led to it ending up in the children’s possession,” Bernama reported him as saying in Kajang today.
He said the case is being investigated for child neglect.
Shazeli said the two surviving children are showing positive signs of recovery but remain under close medical observation. “Doctors have yet to determine when they can be discharged,” he said.
He added that the children’s parents have been released on police bail to allow them to manage family matters, particularly arrangements related to the dead child.
On Wednesday, Shazeli said police had arrested the three children’s 35-year-old mother on suspicion that she may have given one of her children methadone, leading to the 11-year-old’s death.
