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Cara Wong and Jean Iau
The times of the strait
December 19, 2020
Two men who were the last to be seen with their schoolmate before she disappeared for 13 years are now charged with murdering her.
Ahmad Danial Mohamed Rafa’ee, 35, one of the two, was charged in court on Thursday (December 17) with the murder of Ms. Felicia Teo Wei Ling on June 30, 2007.
He and Ragil Putra Setia Sukmarahjana, 32, allegedly murdered Ms. Teo, then 19, between 1.39 a.m. and 7:20 a.m. in a unit on the 10th floor of Block 19 Marine Terrace, court documents said.
The two men are believed to be the last to see Ms. Teo when she went to the apartment that night, police said in a statement Thursday. The three are said to have been friends and studied at Lasalle College of the Arts, according to their online profiles.
A bespectacled Ahmad Danial, who wore long hair, had ear piercings and was handcuffed, appeared in court via video link.
Police said in a statement Thursday that Ahmad Danial was arrested on Tuesday.
They are looking for Ragil Putra Setia, who they believe is not in Singapore.
They are also looking for the remains of Mrs. Teo.
Speaking to The Straits Times, a close friend of Ms Teo’s who declined to be named said that he, along with his friends and family, had conducted an exhaustive search for Ms Teo after she disappeared.
They firmly believed that she had not run away, contrary to what netizens were saying, and her mother filed a missing persons report on July 3 of that year.
They carried out their own investigations, even going so far as to approach Ms. Teo’s telecommunications provider to retrieve her phone records.
They also constantly monitored his social media accounts, the friend said, adding that he had been frustrated by the lack of progress in the investigations.
After just over a year of searching, Ms. Teo’s parents encouraged him to “get on with life,” the friend said.
“His family really wanted me to live my own life, I am very sure that his mother still had hope until the end … I hope that he can cope with this,” he added.
(Photo: Google Maps screenshot)
Police said they had classified the case as a missing persons case in 2007, as they had found no facts linking the two men to Ms Teo’s disappearance.
Both men had maintained to the police that Ms. Teo left the apartment in the early morning of June 30 of that year.
Police said they carried out extensive investigations, including searching the apartment and checking closed-circuit television footage in the vicinity, but found nothing incriminating.
Police explained that they periodically review unsolved missing persons cases for more clues.
During the periodic reviews, interviews were conducted with Ms. Teo’s family and other witnesses. Police also checked Ms. Teo’s bank accounts, emails, and social media platforms for new fingerprints.
After a review in July this year, the case was referred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), “since the case has been unsolved for a long period of time.”
The police added that this is part of a process in which selected cases that have been pending for an extended period are presented to the CID for review.
A major breakthrough came after the CID uncovered new leads while tracking belongings believed to be in Ms. Teo’s possession when she was reported missing, police said.
Media reports later said that Ms Teo had her mobile phone and laptop with her, among other items, when she disappeared.
The CID managed to link one of his belongings to Ahmad Danial.
CID Director, Senior Deputy Police Commissioner How Kwang Hwee, said: “I would like to congratulate the investigators for their hard work and determination in solving the case. Investigators managed to uncover new clues to shed light on what may have happened to the victim, identified the suspect and arrested him. “
More than 200 people participated in the search for Ms. Teo in 2007, distributing thousands of brochures with her photograph.
They ran newspaper ads and combed areas such as Geylang, Yishun, and Woodlands. They even broadened their search to Johor Baru.
Crime Library Singapore founder Joseph Tan told ST that Ms Teo’s parents approached the community organization in July 2007 to seek help finding their daughter.
“I’m glad there is a closure, but words cannot describe how sad this case is, especially since it was over 13 years,” said Tan, adding that he called to see family every two years and spoke one last. time with them a few months ago.
Ahmad Danial has been placed in pretrial detention for investigations and is scheduled to return to court on December 24. The court heard that he is on medical leave.
If convicted of murder, he faces the death penalty.
How the tragedy unfolded:
Felicia Teo’s disappearance in 2007 made headlines when her family and friends refused to believe that the 19-year-old had run away. She is now believed to have been killed by two men, one of whom was charged Thursday.
This is how the events unfolded.
June 29, 2007
Ms. Teo leaves her home in Bras Basah. This is the last time her parents see her.
Later, closed-circuit television footage shows her entering an elevator in a Marine Terrace apartment block with two men.
Ms. Teo is believed to have been later killed by Ahmad Danial Mohamed Rafa’ee and Ragil Putra Setia Sukmarahjana on the floor between 1.39 am and 7.20 am on June 30, according to court documents.
July 3, 2007
Ms. Teo’s mother files a missing persons police report.
The police are beginning to investigate and classify Ms. Teo’s case as a missing persons case, as they do not find any facts linking the two men to her disappearance. The men told police that Ms. Teo left the apartment of her own free will.
Ms. Teo’s friends and family continue with their own search.
2007-2020
The police regularly review the case.
July 2020
After review, the case is referred to the Criminal Investigation Department, whose officers uncover new leads.
December 15
Ahmad Danial is arrested.
December 17
He is charged in court with murder. The police are looking for the remains of Ragil Putra Setia and Ms. Teo.
