No leads on missing boy, search continues

Almost a week has passed since 6-year-old William Yau Zhen Zhong went missing (Jan 16) at Putra Heights, and the search for the boy continues.

Photographs of Yau is being shared by thousands online, such as on social networking site Facebook and twitter. The image is also being seen in the streets.

Even private corporations, governmental bodies and political parties are also volunteering to chip in to help locate the second son of a mechanic and his wife.

Police said Monday that while there has been calls and SMSes coming in every minute for the past few days, none of them have yielded any positive results.

Bukit Aman Sexual Crimes, Domestic Violence and Child Abuse Investigations division (D11) director ACP Hamidah Yunus suggested that there are simple steps the public can take in order to better assist the authorities.

"When you think you saw somebody suspicious, or if you see a kid that looks like our missing child, please don't just call the police and leave it at that," Hamidah advised.

"Please approach and ask the child, 'is your family with you?' or ask the guardian 'sorry but who is this child?'. If the child calls the mother on the spot, then it's fine. But if you see the child in fear or in confusion, then you should call the police," she said.

Hamidah declined to state her stand when asked about the giving of monetary rewards, saying:"It is hard to comment about such things as it is very subjective. On one hand it would be a appreciation to people who come forward with information, but at the same time we don't want people to misuse this.

"For now, the police are not offering any rewards so far as this case is concerned," she added.

At the same time, Hamidah also advised the public to be more vigilant with their children, explaining that this was not the first case of a child being left alone in a vehicle.

"By right the public should be aware by now, please don't leave you child in the car, please be careful, this is negligence as a parent."

"Let's take this as a lesson but let's not blame the parents 100% too, it is also someone who has probably taken this opportunity to take the child away," she said.

TheStar today reported that the mother was regretful over leaving her children in the car, responding to public anger over her supposed negligence:“Please forgive me. I was wrong to leave my children alone," Goh Ying Ying told the daily.

So far, police have received calls from an array of people, some who have informed of briefly seeing a familiar face, or those who have offered information only when they receive money, or even those who simply want to wish the family well.

"There was even a call about a boy scavenging near some rubbish bins near an Indonesian squatter area, but that was not relevant. We just hope that a good Samaritan would just call us saying that he has found him at the roadside, or that someone would have a soft heart," said a police source close to investigations.

Meanwhile, the reward amount that will lead to the safe return of Yau, has begun to snowball, with Subang Jaya community paper SJ Echo reporting that an anonymous businessman has offered another RM10,000 reward for information bringing the total reward tally to RM30,000.

Previously, Yau's parents has offered RM5,000, while KK Group of Companies and the Honorary RELA Club (Federal Territories) donated RM5,000 and RM10,000 respectively. This amount is not for those holding the boy for ransom.

Wanita Umno chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil had commented on the unnamed businessman's offer, saying:"We (corporates, authorities and public) need to work together to find this adorable boy."

She reportedly said this after visiting the parents of Yau.

Wanita Umno, as well as MCA, has both vowed to distribute pamphlets and flyers to help in the search for Yau. Police have also triggered the the National Urgent Response (NUR) alert system, but has not has also not received any strong leads so far on Yau's whereabouts.

Yau went missing in Jalan Putra Mahkota, Putra Heights in Subang Jaya, on Wednesday night.

His parents had returned from dinner and stopped by to have a quick look at washing machines at an electrical shop, leaving their three children, Yau, a seven-year-old son and a one-year-old baby girl.

When they returned, Yau was nowhere to be seen.

Those with any information on Zhen Zhong can contact Subang Jaya police at 03-56319800, Sergeant Goh Lai Thang at 012-219713, Putra Heights police station chief Sub Inspector Nordin Mustaffa at 012-3150775 or Kok Kang at 016-9691616. They can also contact the nearest police station.