PASIR GUDANG: "Since the burial, the children have come to terms with the loss . They understand that their mother is no longer with us."
This is how Mohd Yusof Mokhtar, 35, the husband of murdered teacher Istiqomah Ahmad Rozi describes the situation with the couple's children.
The three children, aged between four and nine, have adjusted and are becoming more resilient to continue their lives.
Yusof said although the children were closer to their late mother, they were slowly understanding that she was no longer around.
"My eldest and second child have returned to school. I'm thankful that at school, they receive attention and support from others.
"I plan to take the children back to our hometown in Kelantan this December during the school holidays to visit their mother's grave.
"I feel that she is now at peace in the afterlife, as I no longer dream of her. Before she was buried, she would often appear in my dreams," Yusof said when contacted.
He expressed satisfaction with the authorities' investigation and is now awaiting the trial, scheduled for Oct 22.
He said the family hopes the legal proceedings will run smoothly in the pursuit of justice for Istiqomah.
"We believe in the law of this country in order to seek justice. Whatever the reasons given by the suspect, we are baffled as to why such cruelty was inflicted, to the point of taking a life," he said.
Meanwhile, Istiqomah's mother, Saleha Ya, 58, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to care for her grandchildren in Pasir Gudang and to explain the situation to them.
"We took our time to explain what happened. They are still very young. Now, they are able to understand and accept that their mother is in heaven," she said.
On Aug 19, a former teacher Mohd Fadzly Ariffadzilah, 36, was charged at the Alor Gajah Magistrate's Court in Melaka with the murder of Istiqomah, 33, in December 2023.
He is accused of committing the crime between Dec 26 and 31, 2023 by the roadside in Kampung Tanjung Rimau Luar, Pulau Sebang, Alor Gajah.
The family had reported Istiqomah missing on Dec 27 2023, with the police later discovering a headless, limbless body in a barrel placed in a drain in Kampung Tanjung Rimau, Pulau Sebang, Alor Gajah on Dec 31.
On Jan 6 this year , the police revealed that the victim's head, hands, and feet had been severed, but the missing body parts were not found in the area.
Police confirmed the identity of the body as Istiqomah on Aug 12.