Father confesses to killing son, burning his body

AMMAN — A man who identified himself as the father of the child whose burnt body was found in the capital this week has confessed to killing and burning the boy, authorities said Thursday.

On Wednesday night, South Amman Police Department and Criminal Investigation Department personnel arrested the suspect, who works at a shop near the crime scene in Sweifieh, the Public Security Department’s (PSD) media centre said in a statement released Thursday. 

The suspect was reported to police by “a citizen” who thought he started acting suspiciously after the body was found in a building under construction.

The PSD summoned the suspect for questioning, and he confessed to committing the crime against his son, who suffered mental illness.

The suspect confessed to taking the boy to his workplace with the intent of killing him because “he was a burden”, according to the PSD statement.

The father reportedly took the child to the fourth floor of the building and pushed him to his death, then set the body ablaze, the statement said, adding that the suspect was referred to the Criminal Court prosecutor general for further legal action.

Police had initially estimated the child’s age at 12 years old, a judicial source told The Jordan Times earlier this week, but the PSD said the boy was eight.

The PSD media centre also commended the citizen for assisting investigators by reporting the suspect.