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The name Zara Qairina Mahathir has been synonymous with mystery and frustration, as the 13-year-old student’s cause of death was plagued with questions surrounding the possibility of school bullying.

On 16 July 2025, the Form One student at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Agama (SMKA) Tun Datu Mustapha, a religious boarding school in Papar, Sabah, was found unconscious near a drain below her school’s dormitory. She had sustained severe injuries and was placed on life support at Queen Elizabeth I Hospital.

Zara unfortunately passed away the following day and authorities initially suggested she fell from the third floor of her dormitory.

Why did Zara’s mother ask for her daughter’s body to be exhumed?

What began as a standard police case turned into a high-profile probe after the victim’s family challenged initial findings and persistently demanded a post-mortem examination.

According to a report by Borneo Post dated 1 August, Zara’s mother Noraidah Lamat lodged a police report on 30 July specifically to request the exhumation of her daughter’s body to facilitate inquest and urge police to conduct a thorough investigation.

The family’s lawyers said the exhumation request stems from the family possessing a recording of a telephone conversation where Zara revealed repeated harassment and bullying by several senior students.

One student, referred to as “Kak M”, explicitly threatened Zara by saying “If I touch you, you’ll bleed”, according to the lawyers. They added that in the report, Noraidah expressed strong doubts about Zara’s alleged cause of death from falling from the third floor of a building.

Noraidah also stated earlier that her daughter had previously reported being sexually harassed by a fellow student — a claim she said was addressed by school counsellors — and denied knowing whether bullying played a role in Zara’s death.

Zara was buried without an autopsy

On 18 July, two days after Zara was found unconscious, her body was prepared for burial and no post-mortem examination was conducted. However, Noraidah later recalled seeing bruises on her daughter’s back during mandi jenazah (bathing ritual), a detail not initially reported to the police.

Unverified claims on social media at the time alleged that Zara had been bullied by senior students and accused school authorities of a cover-up as rumors of “VIP” involvement had spread.

Later on 3 August, Noraidah files a second police report, this time officially detailing the bruises she saw on Zara’s back.

On 8 August, the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) orders the exhumation of Zara’s remains for a delayed post-mortem, and instructed police to involve forensic experts to complete their investigation.

Zara’s body was exhumed but post-mortem findings cannot be revealed yet

On Saturday (9 August), Zara’s body was exhumed and a post-mortem was conducted the next day. However, the family’s lawyer Shahlan Jufri said the findings could not be revealed at the moment as investigations were still ongoing.

According to The Star, Shahlan said that the post-mortem report was not a public document and could only be revealed in court if an inquest is ordered by the Attorney General to determine the cause of death.

“I can confirm that the post-mortem was done in a very transparent manner and with integrity,” said Shahlan, who observed the post-mortem being carried out by the pathologist and recorded by police photographers.

He added that the authorities would likely wait for police investigations to be completed before requesting an inquest to be held.

Zara’s body was later brought out of Queen Elizabeth I Hospital for reburial at the Tanjung Ubi Muslim Cemetery in Kampung Mesapol, Sipitang.