Negeri Sembilan police chief Alzafny Ahmad said the post-mortems on the eight-year-old girl and her six-year-old brother were completed at Port Dickson Hospital on Sept 5.

He said the investigation is ongoing, with statements taken from 15 witnesses, including the children’s mother, who is the former wife of their father, as well as several people at the scene.

“The children’s religious status is still under investigation by the Negeri Sembilan Islamic affairs department. The investigation will require some time to be completed,” Bernama reported him as saying today.

The department said a proper investigation is necessary to assist in the management of their funerals.

Alzafny said the two suspects in the case – a 46-year-old man believed to be the children’s father and a 41-year-old woman – will remain in remand until Thursday to assist in the investigation.

Police received a report from the public on Sept 4 about a car that had slid into Sungai Linggi with a boy and a girl inside.

The children, from Shah Alam, Selangor, are believed to have been trapped in the vehicle.

Both were confirmed dead at the scene by medical officers.

The incident occurred as they and the couple were reported to be resting and fishing in the area at about 11.45am.

The man was outside the car while the children and the woman were inside when the vehicle, which was parked, suddenly slid into the river.

The woman, who was initially said to be the mother of the children, was rescued by the public.