How did the police overlook this during the investigation?
THE saga began on 10 Oct 2004, when a little China girl named Huang Na went missing, sparking a huge police manhunt.
On 30 Oct, the suspect, Malaysian worker Took Leng How, gave himself up in Penang, where he had fled.
The next day, Took led the police to the 8-year-old girl's body, which was in a box in Telok Blangah.
His trial revealed what had happened.
On 10 Oct, after giving her two mangos, Took claimed he played hide and seek with her in a storeroom in Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre, where he and her mother worked.
Took claimed she bumped her head against some boxes, and bled from her mouth, at which point he panicked.
Then he stripped her, bound her, molested her and strangled her.
Hours later, he put her body in nine plastic bags and stuffed it in a box.
During the trial, the defence tried to convince the court that Took was mentally disturbed. Took himself claimed that Huang Na choked on her own vomit. It didn't work.
On 26 Aug 2006, Took was found guilty and sentenced to hang. After failed appeals, he was hanged on 4 Nov that year.
The story was a tragedy that captured Singapore's attention.
Donations poured in from Singaporeans touched by the little girl's fate.
But the attention wasn't always welcome for Huang Na's mother and stepfather, China nationals Madam Huang Shuying and Mr Zheng Wenhai.
It brought out unpleasant facts about them - how Madam Huang had sneaked into Singapore illegally, and how Mr Zheng was jailed 2 1/2 years for robbery.
Mr Zheng had said: 'We would like to stay for the murder trial, but we are already being questioned about how much goodwill money we collected from Huang Na's funeral and how much insurance we bought for her and how much we will benefit now that she's dead.'
They flew back to Putian, China, on 29 Nov 2004.
But now, nearly five years later, the questions still haven't stopped.
THE saga began on 10 Oct 2004, when a little China girl named Huang Na went missing, sparking a huge police manhunt.
On 30 Oct, the suspect, Malaysian worker Took Leng How, gave himself up in Penang, where he had fled.
The next day, Took led the police to the 8-year-old girl's body, which was in a box in Telok Blangah.
His trial revealed what had happened.
On 10 Oct, after giving her two mangos, Took claimed he played hide and seek with her in a storeroom in Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre, where he and her mother worked.
Took claimed she bumped her head against some boxes, and bled from her mouth, at which point he panicked.
Then he stripped her, bound her, molested her and strangled her.
Hours later, he put her body in nine plastic bags and stuffed it in a box.
During the trial, the defence tried to convince the court that Took was mentally disturbed. Took himself claimed that Huang Na choked on her own vomit. It didn't work.
On 26 Aug 2006, Took was found guilty and sentenced to hang. After failed appeals, he was hanged on 4 Nov that year.
The story was a tragedy that captured Singapore's attention.
Donations poured in from Singaporeans touched by the little girl's fate.
But the attention wasn't always welcome for Huang Na's mother and stepfather, China nationals Madam Huang Shuying and Mr Zheng Wenhai.
It brought out unpleasant facts about them - how Madam Huang had sneaked into Singapore illegally, and how Mr Zheng was jailed 2 1/2 years for robbery.
Mr Zheng had said: 'We would like to stay for the murder trial, but we are already being questioned about how much goodwill money we collected from Huang Na's funeral and how much insurance we bought for her and how much we will benefit now that she's dead.'
They flew back to Putian, China, on 29 Nov 2004.
But now, nearly five years later, the questions still haven't stopped.
