Boy with Down Syndrome Dies After Alleged Abuse by Neighbor's Children; Police Name Only One Suspect

A 10-year-old boy with multiple disabilities—Down syndrome and cerebral palsy—was found dead on the terrace of his home in Surabaya, East Java, on Saturday (12/9). The victim's father, SAW (53), strongly suspects his son was a victim of bullying by two underage children of a neighbor. The case came to light after closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from the victim's home showed the two children entering and leaving before the incident.

The incident began when SAW was asleep recovering from kidney surgery, while his wife, NF, was selling soy milk at a market. The victim, who used a wheelchair daily, was left on the terrace. At around 09.20 WIB, NF returned home and found her son already lying on the ground, blue. “My wife screamed hysterically, ‘The child is blue, the child is already blue’,” SAW said, imitating his wife's panic.

SAW, who woke up, immediately carried the victim and found several suspicious wounds, including a shoelace wrapped around his neck. The autopsy at the East Java Regional Police, according to him, also found scouring powder liquid in the victim's stomach. The victim was rushed to the nearest hospital, but his life could not be saved and he was pronounced dead at 09.45 WIB.

Based on CCTV footage reviewed by SAW, the two neighbor children were seen entering and leaving the house alternately for about 12 minutes. “My child was allegedly tortured for 12 minutes. Five minutes later, one of the perpetrators entered again alone from 08.37 to 08.47 WIB,” he alleged. He believes the two children caused his son's death, given the victim's highly vulnerable and helpless condition.

SAW revealed that his son had been a victim of bullying and physical violence several times before, both a week and a month before the incident. He suspects the perpetrators were the same people, namely the neighbor's children who live not far from his house. “My child cannot speak, cannot stand, his eyes are blurry, and his hands are weak. He is truly helpless,” SAW said, describing his son's condition.

“My heart was shattered and crushed when I saw him still roaming free in front of me during Friday prayers, while my helpless child was gone.” — SAW, the victim's father.

To date, police have named only one person as a suspect. According to SAW, investigators reasoned that the other perpetrators were not implicated in this case. He urged that all parties involved be processed legally. The Head of the Women's and Children's Protection and PPO Unit of Polrestabes Surabaya, AKBP Melatisari, confirmed that her unit is handling the case of alleged bullying leading to death. “We are handling it, the investigation process,” she said briefly.

This case highlights the weak protection of children with disabilities in the surrounding environment. The absence of supervision while parents work, plus the low awareness of residents to provide first aid, are critical points that worsened the victim's condition. SAW said nearby residents only gathered without taking the initiative to help, until finally one person helped him take the victim to the hospital.

The Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) and the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection (KPPPA) need to step in to ensure the legal process runs fairly and to push for strengthening the child protection system at the community level. Going forward, environmental supervision and education on the dangers of bullying against children with special needs must be a shared priority. Will this case become a momentum for improving the protection of children with disabilities, or will it instead sink in the slow pace of legal bureaucracy?