ARAU: A woman with dementia did not know her husband had been dead for two days when his charred body was found next to a burned lawn mower in the yard of their Jejawi home.
The deceased, identified as 75-year-old Tunku Mahadzir Tunku Ahmad, a retired Telekom Malaysia (TM) employee, was discovered by a passerby near the Kangar Municipal Council (MPKangar) building, not far from his home.
The widow, Sharifah Puziah Syed Ali, 77, confirmed her husband had been cutting overgrown grass with his lawn mower.
"My late husband was diligent in keeping the yard clean, often mowing the wild grass around the house.
"During the incident, I was resting indoors and did not hear any screams or calls for help from him. I didn't suspect anything amiss because I assumed he had already come inside," she said when met at her home in Jejawi.
Sharifah Puziah accepted her husband's passing after living together in the house for more than 30 years.
"I was shocked when the police arrived and informed me of my husband's death. It is deeply saddening, but I accept his passing," she added.
Her sister-in-law, Rosida Aziz, 60, said Sharifah Puziah has limited memory due to dementia.
"However, Sharifah told me that during the incident, she had opened the door and saw smoke outside the house. She assumed it was from burning rubbish, grass, and dry leaves that her husband had collected.
"She never imagined that the fire involved her husband. We only learned about this through a Facebook post," Rosida said.
The post-mortem was conducted at Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital in Alor Star, Kedah, to determine the cause of death, and police have classified the case as sudden death.