A nineteen-year-old in a school uniform was discovered in Sungai Padas with no signs of foul play.
A 19-year-old boarding school student who went missing from his school in Kemabong has been found dead along the Sungai Padas riverbank near the Pangie hydroelectric dam in Tenom.
Discovery Of The Body
Acting Tenom police chief ASP Ahmad Razali Shaari said police received a report at around 8.54 am on Tuesday about a body seen floating along the riverbank of Sungai Padas near the Pangie hydroelectric dam, prompting a team to be deployed to the scene.
Last Seen Leaving Boarding School
The victim, a 19-year-old male student, had last been seen leaving his boarding school in Kemabong on May 10; school administrators lodged a missing-person report after he failed to return to the hostel.
Condition And Identification
Police said the teenager was still wearing his school uniform at the time of discovery, aiding quick identification by authorities and school representatives, before the body was transported to Tenom Hospital.
Initial Investigation And Absence Of Foul Play
Preliminary checks at the scene found no signs of foul play on the victim’s body or in the surrounding area, though a post-mortem examination has been ordered to determine the exact cause of death.
Ongoing Police And Hospital Procedures
ASP Ahmad Razali said investigations are continuing while officers await autopsy results and review the circumstances leading up to the student’s disappearance from the boarding school over the weekend.
The death of the missing boarding school student in Tenom has raised concern but, so far, shows no indication of criminal involvement, pending autopsy findings. For Indonesians and Singaporeans with children in hostels or rural schools, the case is a reminder of the importance of prompt reporting, careful supervision and thorough investigation whenever a student goes missing.
Sources: Malay Mail (2026) , The Star (2026)
Keywords: Missing Student Tenom, Sungai Padas Body, Pangie Hydroelectric Dam, Kemabong Boarding School, ASP Ahmad Razali
