By BRIDGET CARTER
Beside a factory near a mosque in Mt Roskill the body of 13-year-old Molid Sheikh Mohamed lay in darkness down a long driveway.
A man on his way to work today found the Somali teenager's body near an empty section of rough land.
It is believed he had been
lying on tarseal with a fractured skull since Tuesday.
Police think he fell from a large container and might have been playing with friends at the time.
It was Ramadan, the Muslim holy fasting month, and in the hours before his death the teenager had been with almost 300 others at prayers at the Masjid-E-Umnr mosque across the road.
He had walked from his home wearing a T-shirt, trousers, grey socks and black school shoes to the mosque for the event, as he had done the night before.
After the sun went down, and people were returning home, he disappeared.
Fearing the worst, his family began searching for him, then called the police.
They searched this morning with his Mt Roskill Intermediate School principal Graham Westlake and at 7am he was found off Stoddard Rd.
Early autopsy results show he died from head injuries.
His family were preparing today for the funeral of the young man as it is Muslim custom to bury people within 24 hours of their death.
His mother, Hibo Mohamed, said through an interpreter that she thought something more sinister had happened to her son.
He was such a good boy, she said, devoted to his religion and his studies at Mt Roskill Intermediate School, and he had always come home on time from the mosque.
Molid had 10 brothers and two sisters, Mrs Mohamed said, and the family had been living in New Zealand for six years.
Mr Westlake said he believed his family were refugees.
Molid's English was excellent, he was a popular student and excelled at sports, particularly soccer.
"I would say that in the athletic field he had a great future in front of him."
People at the local mosque said they had seen Molid many times before.
One man, who did not want to be named, said Molid's death was particularly tragic because Ramadan was such a special event, which involved fasting during the day, and would end with a celebration in about a week.
Detective Senior Sergeant John Tims said it was too early to say exactly how Molid Mohamed had died, as some of the circumstances were unexplained.
But he wanted to hear from any friends or associates with him at the time he died.
They should ring Auckland police on (09) 302-6400.
- Additional reporting Martin Johnston
By BRIDGET CARTER
Beside a factory near a mosque in Mt Roskill the body of 13-year-old Molid Sheikh Mohamed lay in darkness down a long driveway.
A man on his way to work today found the Somali teenager's body near an empty section of rough land.
It is believed he had been
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