PETALING JAYA: The Kota Kinabalu coroner’s court today heard that Zara Qairina Mahathir’s mother, Noraidah Lamat, refused to allow an autopsy on her daughter even after police explained the procedure to her.
Berita Harian reported investigating officer Wong Yew Zhung as saying that he met Noraidah at Queen Elizabeth Hospital on July 17, 2025, after the 13-year-old’s death was confirmed at 1.07pm.
The 83rd witness said he received a call from Dr B Pavankumar at around 1.35pm, informing him that Zara had died from "traumatic brain injury with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy".
Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy is a type of brain injury caused by a lack of oxygen and significantly reduced blood flow to the brain.
Wong and a photographer rushed to the hospital, arriving at around 3.30pm, and met Pavankumar and Noraidah at the neurosurgery ward.
"At the ward, I informed Zara’s mother that an autopsy would be carried out on her daughter’s remains to aid the investigation into the death.
"However, Zara’s mother refused to allow the autopsy. I explained the autopsy to her again, but she was firm and said, ‘No. I want to bury her immediately,’" he said before coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan today.
Wong said a POL61 form – a police application for an autopsy – was not issued, as Noraidah had rejected the procedure and the cause of Zara’s death had been identified.
He said Noraidah also signed several documents on July 17 before Zara’s remains were handed over for burial.
The documents included a declaration of voluntary rejection of an autopsy, in which she stated that she did not want an autopsy, did not suspect foul play and would not request an autopsy report from the hospital for medicolegal purposes or insurance claims.
The other two documents were a death notification and body management form and a declaration of confirmation of funeral arrangements.
Wong said he secured an order from magistrate Zuraini Ali Musa to exhume Zara’s remains at about 3pm on Aug 9 under Section 335(2) of the Criminal Procedure Code, following a directive from the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
Wong and officers from the Papar and Sabah police headquarters then headed to the Tanjung Ubi Muslim cemetery in Kampung Mesapol Lama, Sipitang. The exhumation was completed that night and Zara’s remains were brought to Queen Elizabeth Hospital’s forensic department for an autopsy.
The autopsy began at about 11am on Aug 10 under the supervision of forensic pathology expert Dr Jessie Hiu, assisted by three other doctors: Dr Khairul Anuar Zainun, Dr Uzair Ahmad Suriani and Dr Lau Cheng Cheng.
"Also present were Papar criminal investigation department head Rosli Rasi, me, police inspector Desmond Tanggapan, Zara’s mother and her lawyer, Shahlan Jufri," he said.
Wong said based on the autopsy, Hiu concluded that Zara’s cause of death was traumatic brain injury with hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy, as identified on July 17.
"Hiu’s examination of Zara’s injuries also found that they were consistent with injuries sustained in a fall from a great height," he said.