Nurasyura binte Mohamed Fauzi was a two-year-old Malay girl from Singapore who was raped and murdered. Nurasyura, better known as Nonoi, had gone missing on 1 March 2006, and a highly publicized search ensued; three days later her stepfather, Mohammed Ali bin Johari, confessed to what he claimed was an accidental death, and he led police to her body. An autopsy revealed that the girl was drowned to death and was sexually assaulted before her death. On 31 August 2007, after an 8-day hearing, the High Court found Mohammed Ali, who repeatedly denied raping Nonoi, guilty of murder and sentenced him to death.
Subsequently, the Court of Appeal of Singapore, while dismissing Mohammed Ali's appeal on 22 April 2008, had also found him guilty of raping Nonoi even though the prosecution had not formally made an additional charge of rape against him in the first place. After staying on death row for another 8 months since the loss of his appeal, Mohammed Ali was hanged on 19 December 2008. The case had been a shock to Singaporeans since its occurrence and aftermath, spawning a 2009 TV adaptation of the case and a publication of the case by Singapore's national newspaper The Straits Times in 2015.
Disappearance
Search for Nonoi
On the Wednesday evening of 1 March 2006, at a ground floor, 3-room unit at Block 62, Circuit Road, two-year-old Nurasyura binte Mohamed Fauzi, affectionately known as "Nonoi", went missing. A search was conducted by her family and relatives; the neighbours, police, and some strangers joined in the search and distributed flyers. The search was widely reported in the newspapers, with the police making an appeal to the public for any information about the girl's whereabouts. Her step-grandfather, 59-year-old Johari bin Mohammed Yus, the owner of the Circuit Road flat, had last seen her at around 7 pm before he began his evening prayers; he was also the one who reported her missing.
Confession and arrest
Three days later, on 4 March, at his Pipit Road flat and Nonoi's home, 29-year-old Mohammed Ali bin Johari, the girl's stepfather, suddenly broke down and tearfully confessed to his wife - Mdm Mastura binte Kamsir (aged 22) - and his elderly mother-in-law - Rozanah binte Salleh - that it was his fault and asked for forgiveness. He said to them in Malay, "Nonoi, dah tak ada" (meaning "Nonoi, no more"). Much to the shock, anger and grief of the women, Mohammed Ali admitted that Nonoi was dead and that he had no intention to kill her. According to Mdm Rozanah, upon hearing her son-in-law's confession, she suspected that her son-in-law must have done something bad to her granddaughter. Upon further questioning, Mohammed Ali said that he had immersed Nonoi inside a pail of water and this caused her to die, but maintained that he did not intend to cause her death and told the women that he will inform the police about this.
After he turned himself in at Bedok Police Station, Mohammed Ali then led the police to the Aljunied Flyover along the Pan Island Expressway, where the partially decomposed and naked body of a female toddler with shoulder-length hair was found at the lowest portion of the flyover. DNA tests were conducted and it was certified that the body belonged to the missing Nonoi. As Mohammed Ali was brought away by police, several enraged neighbours and strangers shouted expletives at him, who had been putting up a charade by praying for his stepdaughter's safety and asking for help while taking part in the search.
Indictment and remand
On 7 March 2006, three days after his arrest, 29-year-old Mohammed Ali was charged with murder. The day when he was charged, Mohammed Ali gestured to his family members for their forgiveness and to tell them that he loves them. However, for once, Mohammed Ali did not look at his wife, who was sitting together with her mother separately from her in-laws. Both sides of the family, visibly shaken by the events that took place, did not speak to the media. Before the tragic death of Nonoi at the hands of Mohammed Ali, the families of her mother and stepfather were originally close to one another, and they often chatted and ate together; for which Nonoi was the main reason that brought them together.
After he was charged, on 13 March 2007, Mohammed Ali was ordered to be remanded at Changi Prison Complex Medical Centre for psychiatric evaluation. Three weeks later, on 3 April 2006, Mohammed Ali was ordered to be further remanded for three more weeks for more psychiatric assessments.