Police in Malaysia are investigating the death of a young boy who was allegedly drugged. For reasons that are still currently unknown, the boy and his two younger brothers were allegedly given methadone by their mother. This landed the three brothers in the hospital, where the eldest boy died. Methadone, an opioid often used for pain management, isn’t something that is easily accessible. Currently, details about the parents have not been released. But knowing if either of them were suffering from chronic pain or recovering from drug addiction could shed light on how they gained access to the drug.
Selangor police confirmed that three kids had been taken to Tengku Permaisuri Norashikin Hospital in the town of Kajang on February 11, 2026, in a news release on Facebook. According to translation from People, District Police Headquarters in Kajang had received information from a medical officer at the hospital around 9 a.m. that morning.
The three brothers were brought to the hospital around 7:50 a.m. that day, The Straits Times reported. The 11-year-old boy was declared dead, while the other two, ages 5 and 9, were admitted to the intensive care unit. They were listed in critical condition.
Selangor police chief Datuk Shazeli Kahar announced that the boys’ parents, ages 35 and 44, were arrested in connection with their hospitalization.
Methadone has two main uses, according to the Mayo Clinic. Commonly, it is “used to treat moderate to severe pain when around-the-clock pain relief is needed for a long period of time.” It is not recommended for occasional pain, and shouldn’t be used “as needed.”
Additionally, it is “also used together with medical supervision and counseling to treat opioid use disorder (eg, heroin or other morphine-like drugs).”
“Yes, I confirm that one child has died while two others are receiving treatment at a hospital,” Kahar said, as reported by Malaysian news agency Bernama.
According to the report, the three brothers were allegedly fed a liquid form of methadone at a home in Sungai Ramal Buru.
A source said that police were looking into possible motives, Malaysian newspaper Berita Harian reported in an article that was translated. As the investigation continues, they are also trying to figure out how the drugs were obtained.
