Woman heartbroken over death of adopted son due to alleged abuse
MELAKA: A woman was heartbroken by the death of her seven-year-old adopted son, whom she had previously cared for since he was two months old, believed to be due to abuse.
Norlida Abu Hassan, 50, said although she accepted the demise of her adopted son, but she was very upset because the child she had cared for like her own flesh and blood, was treated in such a way.
She said the last time she met her adopted son, who was affectionately known as Adik, was in November last year in Rawang, Selangor, after the boy was handed back to his biological mother, who lives in Krubong here, a month earlier.
"I should have defended Adik, I thought his mother couldn't bear to be away from his son anymore, so I let him return to her.
"I never thought that the child, who I treated like my own, disappeared in the blink of an eye in such a terrible way," she told reporters when met at Taman Seri Jati, Batu Berendam here yesterday.
Norlida said that in a span of more than six years, Adik's biological mother only came to visit him a few times, and they got back in touch when she tried to get Adik's documentation for his Standard One admission.
Last year, she said the biological mother had expressed her desire to take him back and after handing him over to his biological family, Norlida did not have the opportunity to see the child anymore and her phone number was even blocked.
"We met him secretly once at a restaurant in Rawang. Adik was brought by his stepfather to meet us, and Adik said he missed Ummi (me).
“This loss is not ours only as it is being felt by many because of his friendly, cheerful and easy-going character,” she said.
A seven-year-old boy died in Taman Krubong Jaya here, yesterday, after he was believed to have been abused by his mother, 32, and stepfather, 38.
The child was allegedly drowned in a water tub in his house in the 4 pm incident, however, preliminary investigations found physical injuries on the victim's body.