BATU PAHAT: The father of a missing teenager believes that the skeletal remains found at the base of a cliff in a durian orchard is that of his son.
Abd Halid Sugiman said his instincts were telling him that the skeleton was that of Hafiz Fauzan, his son who when missing on May 26.
The 44-year-old said this was based on the discovery of several documents and his son's clothing worn when he left home on the night he went missing.
"I believe it's Hafiz Fauzan. If it's confirmed, we accept it as fate, as Allah only lent him (Hafiz Fauzan) to us briefly.
"Hafiz Fauzan was a good child... I'm proud of his academic and extracurricular achievements. Even though our time with him was short, I am grateful and pray that he is placed among the righteous.
"We are prepared for any outcome, including DNA testing," he said when met at his home in Bandar Putera Indah, Tongkang Pecah, today.
Halid was visibly emotional when recounting the events of the day his third of seven children went missing.
He said that he had passed by the spot where the skeleton was found several times but found no clues until the news broke yesterday morning.
"Around 11am today, I received a call from the Yong Peng police station asking me to confirm the registration plate number of the motorcycle Hafiz Fauzan was using.
"I confirmed it and shortly after, I was asked to go to the Batu Pahat police headquarters for DNA testing. At that time, I had no suspicions until I was informed about the discovery of the human skeleton and the motorcycle.
"After that, I waited for my wife (Zuraidah Zainuddin, 45) to go together to the police headquarters to provide a saliva sample.
"After Maghrib, my wife and I were asked to make an identification before going to Sultanah Nora Ismail Hospital (HSNI) to provide a blood sample," said Halid, who is a teacher at SK Seri Dayong in Sri Medan.
He said that since losing Hafiz Fauzan, their family had not slept well and had searched everywhere, but they were relieved that the wait had finally come to an end.
"The loss is immense... we only had a brief time with him. He was independent, including earning his own pocket money," he said.
Halid said the family had planned to relocate to their hometown in Tanjung Karang in Selangor but postponed it at Hafiz's request to focus on the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia exams this year.
"Friends at the hostel mentioned that he had become quieter a few days before last month's school holidays," he said.