Bak Kheng Leu John Doe

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Bak Kheng Leu John Doe
Discovered	3 June 2016
Unidentified for	8 years
Sex	Male
Location	Bak Kheng Leu, Cambodia
Age	3-4
Race	Asian
Height	75-80 cm
Body condition	Recognizable face
Postmortem interval	2 days
Cause of death	Strangulation

Bak Kheng Leu John Doe was a toddler whose body was found in a pond in a village outside of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Locals told police that before the body was discovered, they witnessed a woman in distress, believed to be his mother, carrying and looking for the decedent.

Case

On 3 June 2016, two boys were fishing at a pond in the Bak Kheng Leu village in Cambodia's Bak Kheng commune when they discovered a dead toddler facing down in the water. The police, along with personnel from the Child Protection Unit (CPU), arrived and recovered the body. The body was found lying face down with several bruises on the neck, which an autopsy at a hospital in Phnom Penh confirmed to be the result of strangulation. The time of death was estimated to have occurred on 1 June. Since no parents or caregivers came forward to claim the child, the police questioned residents.

The villagers informed the authorities that on 30 May, a woman who appeared to be mentally unstable entered the village while walking with a young boy, searching for her husband. She claimed to be from Kampot Province and told locals that she had come to the village, suspecting her husband of having an affair. She believed he and his mistress had fled to the village to hide from her. One local who spoke to her quoted her as saying, "I know my husband has a girlfriend in Bak Kheng. That's why I came looking for him here, but I don't know where he is staying." Several locals came forward to report that they heard her screaming, "If you won't come to meet me and our son, I will kill the child." She was last seen holding the child in her arms and walking toward the pond. Like the deceased child, this woman has never been identified.

On 13 September 2016, Cambodian authorities reopened the investigation and created a 3D rendering of the deceased individual in the hope that it would lead relatives or caregivers to come forward. It is unknown whether anyone responded to these notices.

Characteristics

• Black hair.

Clothing and accessories

• Multi-coloured pajamas with teddy bear patterns.
• Diaper with the same bear character as a logo.

Sources

• Fresh News Asia (Khemer) ^{POSTMORTEM WARNING}
• Koh Santepheap Daily (Khemer) ^{POSTMORTEM WARNING}
• The Voice of Khemer Community (Khemer) ^{POSTMORTEM WARNING}
• The Gistogram ^{POSTMORTEM WARNING}
• The Cambodia Daily ^{POSTMORTEM WARNING}
• Ack City ^{POSTMORTEM WARNING}
• Tori ^{POSTMORTEM WARNING}