EXCLUSIVE
The heartbroken father of a high-achieving HSC student found dead near a train station believes she may have been murdered – as he demands police show him footage of her final moments to rule out anyone else. was involved.
Mamun Syeda’s 18-year-old daughter Samia disappeared from their apartment in Merrylands, in Sydney’s west, just after 1am on Sunday, December 29.
She was found dead near Merrylands railway station a short time later at 1.35am, with police ruling her death a suicide.
But Mr Syeda believes his only child may have been the victim of foul play due to the mysterious circumstances surrounding her disappearance.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia at his two-bedroom apartment on Wednesday, Mr Syeda was left at a loss as to how his daughter could have left the house as both doors were locked with keys he keeps under his pillow while he sleeps.
Strangely, when he woke up in the early morning hours to find his daughter missing, the main entrance and sliding balcony door were still locked and her bedroom window, which sits twenty feet above a concrete driveway, showed no signs of tampering.
“The police need to get close-up footage as soon as possible and explain how my daughter was able to leave the apartment with the doors and windows closed,” Syeda told Daily Mail Australia.
‘To me she didn’t commit suicide, she was murdered.
Samia Syeda, 18, (pictured) was found dead at Merrylands train station last month. Police consider her death a suicide
Mamun Syeda (pictured) believes something sinister happened to his teenage daughter and he wants her death investigated further
Samia was found dead near Merrylands train station in the early hours of December 29 (pictured).
‘This is a horror story. But I have no proof.
‘The police have to find it. I [alone] can’t prove or disprove it.’
Mr Syeda said the night of his daughter’s disappearance was like any other.
For security reasons, he locks both doors every evening and pushes a draft stopper along the inside of the main entrance every evening.
Around 1 a.m., his daughter said goodnight and closed the bedroom door to put on her pajamas.
He went to bed at the same time and fell asleep 10 minutes later.
When Mr. Syeda, a Muslim from Bangladesh, woke up at 3 a.m. to perform his morning prayers, his daughter’s bedroom door was ajar and she appeared to still be asleep.
However, when he had finished praying for an hour and was walking back past her room, he noticed that something didn’t seem quite right.
He went into her room, pulled back her duvet and discovered she was gone – and in her place was a pile of clothes.
He immediately called the police, who upon arrival told him that an incident had occurred at the local train station possibly involving his daughter.
In the photo you see Samia’s bedroom. There was a pile of clothes under her duvet when Daily Mail Australia visited the house on Wednesday
Mr Syeda said the sliding door leading to the balcony (pictured) was locked with a key when he went to bed and remained so even after he discovered his daughter was missing.
The balcony, which is located on the second floor, is a difficult climb to the ground
The officers showed Mr Syeda photographs of the woman – who he was able to identify as his daughter based on the clothing she was wearing.
However, Mr Syeda said he immediately checked the doors after discovering her disappearance – and the draft excluder was still in the same position, indicating no one had exited through the main entrance.
He added that Samia did not have keys to the house, so she could not have gone outside and relocked the doors, and that her window was not a viable option because it was too high above the ground.
Mr Syeda is baffled as to how she could have left unless someone had smuggled her away – and he wants the police to collect the footage and show him the footage of her journey from their home to the train station – which takes about an eight-minute walk .
‘I fell asleep at 1.10am and heard no unusual noise. They found her dead at 1:35 am. In those 25 minutes she packed her things here and walked there? It’s unbelievable,” he said.
“Something supernatural has happened.”
Mr Syeda said his daughter, who graduated from Macarthur Girls High School with an ATAR of 93 just weeks before her death, did not appear suicidal.
She had just been accepted on a scholarship to study IT at the University of NSW and just hours before her death wrote a list of activities she had planned for the coming week, including obtaining a tax file number so she could work, visit friends and take up new hobbies.
The photo shows a to-do list that Samia wrote on Saturday, December 28. She was found dead hours later on Sunday, December 29 at 1:35 am.
Samia’s bedroom window rises several meters above the ground, making it very difficult to go outside without sustaining significant injuries
When Samia left the house, she took a few clothes with her, but left her phone behind.
When officers discovered her body, her name was found on her arm.
Mr Syeda said his daughter’s most recent diary is also missing from her room.
He said he won’t be satisfied she acted on her own volition until CCTV footage shows her carrying her diary. But so far, investigators have only shown him a grainy photo taken near the station.
When contacted by Daily Mail Australia about Mr Syeda’s claim that officers failed to conduct a thorough investigation, a NSW Police spokesperson said the matter was now before the coroner’s office.
“A report is being prepared for the information of the coroner and the circumstances surrounding the death will be determined by the coroner,” the spokesperson said.
Samia’s death rocked the local Muslim community, and rumors spread that she was under heavy surveillance and pressure at home.
One of Samia’s friends said online earlier this week that she was ‘not allowed to see friends outside of school’, but Mr Syeda vehemently denied the claims.
‘On the day she disappeared, she went out with her friend for five hours. “She visited her friend’s house for six hours over three days before she disappeared,” he said.
Mr Syeda said Samia’s bedroom window was normally locked at night but the key was left permanently in the lock
Mr Syeda said his daughter’s window showed no signs of tampering when he discovered she was missing
Mr Syeda said a draft stopper at the bottom of the front door remained immovable and the door was still locked with the key under his pillow when he discovered Samia had disappeared.
Samia, a high-achieving student, excelled at her HSC and was due to start studying IT this year
“Of course, she had to provide the name of who she is visiting and have it approved by me [first].
“But she was free in a controlled way.”
Muslim funeral director Ahmad Hraichie, who prepared her funeral service this week, said Samia had confided to a friend that she felt suicidal in the hours before her death, but had quickly deteriorated afterwards and insisted she was fine.
“She said to her friend, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll see you later’,” Mr Hraichie told Daily Mail Australia.
‘She said she was going to see a psychologist on Tuesday.
“She only made it on Tuesday.”
Mr Hraichie said it was heartbreaking to think that a teenager could have felt so alone in Australia, where there are so many organizations that can provide social and psychological support.
He urged others who are feeling depressed or struggling with mental health issues to take advantage of such groups and seek help.
‘She was 18 years old. This should not have happened,” he said.
‘I relive those moments again and again – when she felt so deeply to do that.
‘You lose one, we lose everything. In the future, let’s be proactive, not reactive.
‘If you need help, if you want coffee, I’d love to hear from you [be there to] ventilate.’
Muslim community group leader Nafsun Mutma’innah said the teenager was struggling with “loneliness”.
Samia’s belongings remained neatly packed in bins in her room when Daily Mail visited on Wednesday
The high school textbooks and workbooks were left on her desk, next to a to-do list of her goals for the coming week
“It appears that the suicide was indicative of underlying personal issues and feelings of isolation,” he wrote online.
“This loss highlights a growing concern about suicide and suicidal ideation, especially among our young people. Adolescence can be a time of intense emotional and social pressure, especially in the harmful age of social media, especially for girls.
‘If you notice friends or family members – especially young people – showing signs of despair or talking about losing hope, don’t hesitate to reach out to them and offer them a space to talk to you or just in to sit with them in silence and be present with them.’
An old friend said she “never imagined” Samia would commit suicide.
“My brothers and sisters, I beg of you, if you know someone who is struggling, regardless of proximity, please ask them if they are okay,” she said.
‘You never know what happens behind closed doors, people need a shoulder to lean on.
‘A simple question can change someone’s life.’
For confidential support 24/7, call Lifeline 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636