REMBAU: The grief was palpable at Rembau Hospital today as relatives of six-year-old A. Tishant gathered while a post-mortem was conducted on his body, a day after he was allegedly murdered and buried in Jempol.

Tishant, who had been reported missingfrom Taman Bukit Indah, Johor Baru, last week, was discovered buried in an area in Rompin, Jempol, yesterday.

His mother, accompanied by family members from Johor Baru, arrived at the hospital at 8am to claim the body.

A man, who claimed to be the granduncle of the boy, said the family was devastated—particularly his mother, who had not eaten and had been crying continuously since the day he went missing.

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"We often feel sad when we hear about abused children. But this time, it's happened to us.

"I can't sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I see Tishant's face. We were very close. He used to call me 'grandpa'," he said.

Police have detained the victim's father, in his 30s, who is currently under remand in Johor as investigations continue.

The body of the boy was released at 4.26pm after the post-mortem completed.

In Johor, State Women, Family and Community Development Committee chairman Khairin-Nisa Ismail said the mother and the boy's family must be allowed space to endure this painful moment.

She said her office would be contacting the mother of the deceased soon.

She said they are also awaiting a full report from the Johor Social Welfare Department before visiting the family.

"We also need to give the mother some time to calm down as they have just lost their child," she said when contacted.