Residents of a Housing Development Board (HDB) block in Sengkang were left in shock after a father and his adult daughter were discovered dead in their eighth-floor flat, weeks after they were last seen. The grim discovery came after bodily fluids from their decomposing bodies leaked through the ceiling into the unit below.
Discovery after foul smell and leaking liquid
The case came to light on 6 October when a resident living directly beneath the victims’ flat noticed a foul smell and strange liquid seeping through her ceiling. The woman’s son, surnamed Zeng, told Shin Min Daily News that his 70-year-old mother first alerted him around 6am about a red, sticky substance dripping from above.
“When I came to help clean it up, the liquid smelled horrible and was sticky,” he said. Although he initially thought it was a plumbing issue, the worsening odour made him suspect something more serious. Later that day, he called the police, who arrived to investigate.
Officers from the Singapore Police Force cordoned off the corridor as several investigators entered the eighth-floor unit. Inside, they discovered the lifeless bodies of a man and a 47-year-old woman. The man’s body was found in a bedroom, while his daughter’s body was located near the main door.
Police confirm unnatural deaths, investigations ongoing
Police confirmed that they received a call about the case of unnatural death at about 1:35pm. Paramedics pronounced both individuals dead at the scene. According to Shin Min, the man’s body was already severely decomposed, and further forensic identification will be required to confirm his identity.
Authorities have since launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding their deaths.
Neighbours describe father and daughter as reclusive
Neighbours interviewed described the father and daughter as quiet individuals who mostly kept to themselves. One resident, a 51-year-old woman surnamed He, said that she last saw the father around July and the daughter during Chinese New Year.
“The father was always wearing shorts, a cap and a mask when he went out,” she said. “He usually carried two packets of rice home but rarely spoke to anyone.”
Another neighbour, 69-year-old Jia Lan, noted that the daughter appeared to have a mental health condition and was occasionally seen talking or laughing to herself. “Sometimes she would clap and sing in front of the lift or wander aimlessly around the estate,” he recalled.
Residents also said that a strong smell had been lingering in the corridor for about a month. Some even thought it came from discarded food or dried shrimp paste. One elderly resident shared that she had been visited by authorities weeks earlier who were checking on the odour.
Residents unsettled after tragic discovery
After the shocking discovery, the woman who lived in the affected unit below temporarily moved out to stay with her son as cleaning and sanitisation works began. Neighbours expressed sadness over the incident but admitted that the reclusive nature of the pair made it difficult to notice that something was wrong earlier.
Police investigations are still ongoing to determine the exact cause and timeline of their deaths.
This tragic case serves as a grim reminder of the growing isolation faced by elderly residents and families living alone in Singapore’s HDB estates — an issue that continues to draw concern among social welfare groups and the community.
Photo via Shin Min Daily News