The stench emanating from a house in Perak led to a grisly find.

A Malaysian man was arrested after he allegedly killed his mother, chopped her body up and disposed of the pieces in their house's sewage tank in Perak, the Star reported yesterday (June 5).

The previous day, a neighbour had alerted the police to the foul smell.

Officers arrived at the scene and removed the wooden planks covering the sewage area at the rear of the house, revealing the mother's dismembered body parts within.

"The state police contingent's forensics unit was also roped in to help with the investigation," said Perak police chief Datuk Mior Faridalathrash Wahid.

They were able to identify the victim as a 68-year-old woman — she was the mother of the alleged attacker, 42.

According to Mior, the victim's body had been "cut into 15 parts including the head, hand, legs, and other bodily organs."

"We also seized a machete, two knives and several other items believed to have been used when committing the murder," Mior said.

The police suspect that the son had struck his mother's head before dismembering her body and dumping her remains into the sewage tank before they were discovered a few days later.

His motives for the brutal attack stemmed from a dispute over his late father's inheritance, the police chief said.

Additionally, the accused is believed to be suffering from mental disabilities. He received mental health care in Penang two decades ago, but never had any follow-up treatment, Bernama reported.

The father died 12 years ago, and the mother-son duo had been living in in that house since then, according to Free Malaysia Today.

Days before the discovery of the victim's body, her daughter had filed a missing persons report on May 28 because she couldn't reach her mother during their daily calls.

The suspect answered the phone and told his sister that their mother had left the house and had yet to return.

Police officers responded to this missing persons report but the investigation proved unfruitful due to the mess the mother's house was in — both occupants collected and sold second-hand items and materials, storing them in their home.

After speaking to the son while investigating the victim's disappearance, officers left the premises but it is unclear if she was still alive at the time.

khooyihang@asiaone.com

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