Shattered Innocence: The Unsolved Rape & Murder Of Nurin Jazlin & A Father’s Fight For Justice

By Lara Kramer  •  10 May 2023 in True Crime

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In September 2007, the sudden disappearance and violent tale of the death of a young Malaysian girl in Kuala Lumpur shook the nation. Posters of 8-year-old Nurin Jazlin Jazimin were promptly plastered across Kuala Lumpur as her parents made desperate pleas to the public to aid police investigations and find their daughter.

The heinous fate that befell Nurin is recounted to this day, and the culprit remains at large.

Disclaimer: This article includes graphic descriptions of violence and sexual assault. Reader discretion is advised as the content may be disturbing or triggering. While these details are included to provide a comprehensive account, we acknowledge the sensitive nature of the subject matter.

Born on September 11, 1999, Nurin was the second of three siblings to parents Jazimin Abdul Jalil and Norazian Bistaman. A bright and lively student, Nurin was in her second year at SK Setapak Desa in Kuala Lumpur when she was reported to have been kidnapped, raped and murdered.

On August 20, 2007, Nurin left home by herself to head to a night market in Wangsa Maju. Her siblings and parents were left in a state of anxiety and distress when she failed to show up at home after that. It took until the morning of September 17 for a startling finding to be made, despite intensive attempts by NGOs and the media to find her.

A sports bag was found in front of a shop in PJS 1/48, Petaling Jaya, around 20 kilometres away from where Nurin was believed to have been kidnapped. Inside was the naked body of a child stuffed in the foetal position, who was later confirmed to be Nurin. Her body had been violated in unspeakable ways, with cucumbers and eggplants found stuffed in her vagina, causing her rectum to rupture. She was found to have ultimately died of a bacterial infection, and evidence indicated that she had likely been deceased for over six hours when her body was found.

Due to the bodily alterations she had undergone, her parents were first unable to identify her body, leading them to believe that their daughter could still be alive. She also seemed to be lacking the scarring on her arm from receiving a BCG jab, which initially resulted in confusion as authorities assumed the child may have been a foreigner.

Nurin’s identification, however, was subsequently verified by a DNA test, and her family then transported her body from Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) to the Taman Ibukota Islamic Cemetery in Setapak, Kuala Lumpur, where she was laid to rest.

Thousands of people of all ages and races attended the funeral, including her classmates and teachers from school, the Minister of Women’s Development, Family and Society, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, the Chief of Selangor Police, Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar, and the Chief of Kuala Lumpur Police, Deputy Commissioner Zulhasnan Najib Baharudin.

By reviewing the CCTV footage from the crime scene, the police tried to identify the perpetrator. It was difficult for the authorities to make out the suspect’s face, however, owing to the poor quality of the clip.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was contacted by the Bukit Aman Police in an additional attempt to enhance the CCTV footage’s clarity.

The video revealed a man carrying a sports bag containing the victim’s body, along with footage capturing a woman and three men at the location where the body was discovered.

Regrettably, the obtained “clues” have thus far been unsuccessful in aiding the police to identify the killer.

In October 2007, the police released composite sketches, known as photofits, of a man and a woman believed to be connected to the unresolved rape and murder of Nurin Jazlin.

These meticulous likenesses, which were generated based on the public’s descriptions, offered a glimpse at the faces of the possible offenders.

With a fair complexion and a height of 168 cm, the male was thought to have been between 35 and 40 years old. Suspicions are raised by his queries about renting a room for himself and his daughter in Bangsar’s residential quarters around the time Nurin vanished. Authorities were eager to follow his trail after he engaged with numerous residents within the area.

The woman suspect, who has been described as being in her twenties and measuring at 153 cm in height, was spotted in a red dress while standing close to the blue Diadora sports bag that regretfully housed Nurin’s lifeless body. The encounter took place the afternoon before Nurin’s remains were found.

Director of the Federal CID, Comm Datuk Christopher Wan Soo Kee, emphasised the value of looking into every angle, including the possibility of a child pornography network being implicated. At the time, authorities also looked into possible connections between Nurin’s case with molestation occurrences in Kampung Baru, where young girls were enticed with an offer of ice cream, assaulted, and defiled with brinjals before being freed hours later.

Alas, no follow-up information concerning the photofits was ever published, apart from reports stating that the suspects had yet to be identified nor apprehended.

Jazimin Abdul Jalil, her father, spoke about the tragedy and expressed his profound feeling of loss and hunger for justice. “I cannot accept losing Nurin in such a way. For as long as the person who took her away is yet to be apprehended, I will be unable to rest.

“We would have to accept it whether we wanted to or not if my daughter was killed in a vehicle accident or drowned in a lake. My daughter’s experience, however, involves a third party. It’s heartbreaking,” he told FMT in 2021.

Jazimin’s anguish is exacerbated by the fact that he was unable to visit Nurin on the day she vanished.

“That day, I had come home from work and gone to take a nap. I discovered Nurin wasn’t home when I awoke. Prior calling the police, I tried looking for her. It saddens me that I was unable to see her on that particular day.

“I have no idea who the perpetrator is, where he is, or whether he is still alive. I am hoping that the law enforcement will assist me in capturing him using their expertise and the most advanced technologies.”

He also stated that he hopes to be given the chance to confront the culprits someday.

Nurin’s passing made an immense impact on Malaysia, inspiring the establishment of the Nationwide Urgent Response (NUR), formerly known as the National Urgent Response Information Network (NURIN), which was formed to safeguard children against kidnappings and other similar crimes.

Jazimin, however, expressed his hope that the alert system’s former name would be restored to ensure that people would remember what had happened to Nurin, comparable to how the US has the America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response (AMBER) alert, which was named after Amber Hagerman, 9, who was abducted and killed in 1996.

“We have no idea what is out there; there are many crimes that we may not witness. We must keep all this in mind in order to prevent it from happening again”, said Jazimin, currently employed as a bodyguard who also operates a food stand.

Jazimin also poignantly claims that he frequently imagines what kind of adult she might have been.

“Occasionally, young women visit the stall, and during our conversation I inquire as to their age. They’ll say they are in their twenties, and I would think, that’s the same age as Nurin would be.”

The kidnapping, rape, and murder of Nurin remains unsolved nearly two decades later, and, justice still eludes her family. Despite this, Jazimin is appreciative that many people still think of Nurin to this day.

“People still remember her, Alhamdulillah. I keep her picture at my stall. People often see it, recognise her, and ask if I am her father,” he stated.

Nurin Jazlin Jazimin will forever remain a symbol of innocence lost – a reminder of the urgent need to protect our children. May her spirit rest in peace and her life’s narrative serve as a beacon of hope, encouraging us to make the world a safer place for all the young lives that shine brightly among us.