Kuala Lumpur  - Malaysian police have mounted a massive search for a man suspected of brutally killing a Thai woman and her 2-year-old daughter who were living in a hut in the north-eastern state of Kelantan, news reports said Thursday.

Neighbours found the toddler and her mother lying on the floor of their home early Wednesday with multiple slash wounds, after hearing the woman's screams, the Star daily said.

The suspect, believed to be the victims' 31-year-old neighbour, could have been under the influence of drugs during the attack, state criminal investigations chief Mazlan Lazim said.

The victims have been identified as Maenak Ya, 36, from Narathiwat in southern Thailand, and her child Nurashikin Ramli, said Mazlan.

Mazlan said police were also investigating if the victims were related to the suspect. (dpa)