JOHOR BARU, Jan 24 — Murdered single mother Mira Sharmila Samsusah was believed to have been a victim of physical abuse by her boyfriend whenever they met, according to the deceased’s elder sister.

Her 36-year-old sister Norisham claimed that she found out about the physical abuse, which included beatings after Mira Sharmila’s five-year-old son complained to her.

She said her nephew claimed that his mother’s boyfriend had anger issues and had assaulted her on several occasions.

"My nephew Eusof had even asked Mira Sharmila’s boyfriend to stop beating his mother whenever they were out together,” Norisham told reporters when met at the Forensics Department of the Sultan Ismail Hospital (HSI) here today.

She believes her 32-year-old deceased sister, fondly known as Bella, was a victim of physical abuse by her boyfriend throughout their relationship.

Earlier, Norisham accompanied her immediate family members to claim Bella’s remains after the post-mortem was completed.

Norisham, who works as a school clerk here, said she would care for Bella’s son and two-year-old daughter Maream who were from her previous marriage.

On her sister’s relationship with her 25-year-old boyfriend, who was earlier charged for her murder in Batu Pahat, Norisham said that the deceased had been going out with the former postman for the past seven months.

She said Bella had also expressed her desire to live with him soon.

Norisham said her family members, including her, were still in shock over Mira Sharmila’s murder and the state of her remains.

"The entire incident happened so quickly and was a sad ending for us as a family,” she said.

Bella’s remains are expected to be buried at the Banang Muslim Cemetery after afternoon prayers at the Datuk Bentara Mosque in Batu Pahat.

The deceased’s boyfriend, Mohammad Haikal Mahfuz, was earlier charged in the Batu Pahat Magistrate’s Court today for her death in December last year.

Mira Sharmila was last seen leaving her Batu Pahat house in her boyfriend’s car at 11.50pm on December 14 to go to a nearby laundromat.

The single mother of two was only reported missing the next day after text messages and phone calls by her sister went unanswered.

Police then arrested Mira Sharmila’s 24-year-old boyfriend a few days ago under Section 365 of the Penal Code for abduction and wrongful confinement.

Investigators had also arrested two other male suspects believed to be connected to her disappearance.

Last Friday, the skeletal remains of a woman were found in an abandoned house in Batu 7, Tongkang Pechah near Batu Pahat. The gruesome discovery was made shortly after the suspect was arrested as soon as he arrived back here after performing the umrah with his family.

Yesterday, Batu Pahat police chief Assistant Commissioner Ismail Dollah was reported to have confirmed that the skeletal remains belonged to Mira Sharmila following the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) test results.