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By Elysa Chen and Zaihan Mohamed Yusof
LITTLE "Abut" loved to sing and dance to traditional Malay music, play dressup with oversized sunglasses and often pranced playfully around her home with a mischievous grin.
She was a lively spark.
But now, her family will no longer hear her cute voice.
All that's left are photographs to remind them of the joy they once had.
Sri Alyaniz Nazri, 2, died at 10.15pm on Wednesday night. She was allegedly hit on the left side of her forehead by her mother's unemployed boyfriend, 29.
The man was charged in court with causing grievous hurt on Wednesday, even as Abut was fighting for her life.
The toddler's paternal aunt, who wanted to be known only as Ms Lydia, couldn't help but break out into smiles when she reminisced about her niece's cheerful disposition to The New Paper yesterday afternoon .
"She is very adorable," said Ms Lydia, 21, fondly showing this reporter pictures of Abut - the nickname they gave her - from her handphone.
But her smiles turned to tears when she joined the rest of the family in the living room of Abut's paternal grandaunt's Jurong West flat to bid the little girl farewell.
Tearful farewell
The atmosphere was sorrowful, punctuated by sobs. There was not a single dry eye in the room.
Abut's tiny body, wrapped in a white cloth and a red and brown blanket, was laid in the middle of the room on a white mattress.
Grieving relatives crowded around her body and took turns to sprinkle sandalwood around her face and plant kisses on her.
Her mother, Ms Junaida, 29, a sales assistant, clutched Abut's 4-year-old sister and knelt beside her younger daughter's body, quivering as she sobbed uncontrollably.
Her biological father, Mr Nazri Rahman, 28, appeared stoic, but his eyes were red from crying.
The couple, who wore matching grey suits yesterday, divorced about two years ago.
Clearly oblivious to the tragedy, Abut's sister seemed puzzled by the crowd and appeared confused over why everyone was crying.
Sitting quietly in her mother's lap, she looked on at her little sister's face as rituals and prayers were carried out. "We told her that her sister is sleeping," said Ms Lydia.
More than 60 relatives and friends turned up at Choa Chu Kang cemetery yesterday evening for the funeral.
Abut's sister stood by the freshly-dug burial plot and watched her little sister's body being lowered into it.
As soil was poured over the body, Ms Junaida bent over, supported by a relative, and sobbed into the red and brown blanket that had been used to wrap the girl's body.
The New Paper understands from a family friend that after their parents divorced, the two girls lived with their father in his aunt's Jurong West flat.
About a month ago, however, Abut went to live with her mother and her boyfriend at Ms Junaida's aunt's home.
The alleged incident is said to have happened at this flat in Bukit Panjang last Thursday.
Last Sunday, Ms Junaida's father noticed some bruises on Abut's forehead and asked his daughter what had happened, reported Shin Min Daily News.
She replied that she did not know.
At that point, little Abut suffered a bout of fits, shaking uncontrollably.
The family called for an ambulance, and the toddler was taken to the National University Hospital (NUH).
Operations not enough
The New Paper understands that she was put in critical care and had two operations.
At about 6pm on Wednesday, the family was told to be prepared for the worst.
When contacted, a police spokesman said a 2-year-old girl was admitted to NUH in critical condition on 11 Oct.
The New Paper understands that she had bruises on her head and body then.
The police spokesman confirmed that Abut died at the hospital at 10.15pm on Wednesday.
The accused has been remanded at Jurong (Police HQ) to facilitate investigation. Police investigations are ongoing.
"We told her that her sister is sleeping." - Ms Lydia, on what she told Abut's sister. She was confused as to why everyone was crying.
This article was first published in The New Paper.
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