PETALING JAYA, Dec 18 — The usually lively compound of Apartment Idaman, Damansara Damai here - especially during the school holidays - has gone quiet since the murder of Zayn Rayyan Abdul Matiin, on Dec 5.

Checks by Bernama found that the playground area, parking lot, sidewalks and staircases in all the blocks here looked deserted.

According to Wan Hakim Abdul Aziz, 28, a resident here who is also a medical assistant at a nearby clinic, most parents no longer allowed their children to play outside the house since the tragic incident.

"All the blocks are quiet now, but this block (Block R) feels the quietest because it’s usually the most lively one,” he said.

Meanwhile, a nanny, Rahmah Resap, 52, said that since the incident, there were no more children playing on the swings in the playground or youngsters hanging out there at night.

"Also, I noticed that if parents take their children to a nearby store, they will make sure their children walk in front. In the past, it didn’t even matter if the child walked behind them,” he said.

Another resident, Mohd Helmi Abdullah, 59, concurred, saying that the playground would usually be full during the school holidays.

"It’s quiet now, as no one lets their children out, before, during the school holidays, it used to be lively with children playing here,” he said.

The investigation into the murder of Zayn Rayyan, which entered its 12th day today, continued with a team from the police’s forensics unit seen coming in at 12.45 pm, and leaving about 2 hours later.

The six-year-old autistic child was reported missing on Dec 5 in Damansara Damai, before being found dead near a stream, about 200 metres from his apartment block the next day. — Bernama