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Dad & daughter found dead in Sengkang flat: Neighbour pays respect outside gate
Other residents left wondering why the daughter did not get help after her father likely passed away first.
The discovery of the bodies of a father and daughter duo in a Sengkang flat on Oct. 6 has sent shockwaves across country with many left residents in the estate questioning what had happened.
The duo, who reportedly had not been seen for at least a month, were found dead in their unit on the eighth floor of Block 324D Sengkang East Way at around 1pm on Monday.
The discovery was made after a resident living directly below the deceased persons' flat noticed a foul smell and liquid leaking from the ceiling, prompting the woman to alert her son, who contacted the authorities.
Neighbours told Shin Min Daily News that they suspected that the father had died first, with his daughter passing away a month later.
Several residents interviewed expressed confusion, saying they could not understand why the daughter had stayed in the flat after her father's death without seeking help.
Many of them described the father and daughter pair as "reclusive" and rarely interacted with others in the block.
"Sometimes when we walked past each other in the corridor, they would lower their heads and walk away quickly," one neighbour said.
It was also believed that the daughter had a mental health condition, and was largely dependent on her father.
The same neighbour speculated that after her father's death, the daughter may have been unable to care for herself and eventually died of starvation.
Another neighbour, a 70-year-old woman surnamed Lin, recalled that the father and daughter had moved into the flat with an older woman more than 10 years ago.
However, the older woman passed away a few years ago, leaving the father and daughter alone in the flat.
Residents told Shin Min that the daughter was believed to be a Chinese national, who came to Singapore many years ago and later became a permanent resident.
They also said the father and daughter rarely received visitors, and that the deaths of all three former occupants have left them saddened.
On Tuesday (Oct. 7), the police released an appeal for the next-of-kin of a 47-year-old woman named Xu Na, understood to be the woman who was found dead in the flat with her father.
Anyone with information can call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness.
All information will be kept strictly confidential.
According to the Singapore Land Authority (SLA), as reported in Shin Min, the flat was originally jointly tenanted by Singaporean homeowner Xu Bao Lu (transliteration) and another person named Wang Li Li (transliteration).
Wang passed away in 2016 and her death was registered with the authorities in December 2017.
In addition, records from the Registry of Marriages (ROM) indicated no record of Xu getting married in Singapore, though it is not known if he had been married overseas.
Authorities have since dispatched workers to disinfect and repaint the affected units above and below the deceased persons' flat.
The son of the resident, who lived directly below the deceased persons' unit, surnamed Zeng, told Shin Min that authorities had sent workers to their unit on Oct. 7 night and Oct. 8 morning to clean and repaint the ceiling of the unit.
"When I was scraping the paint this morning, the smell came back and it was particularly unpleasant," Zeng said, adding that he later burned incense to remove the odour.
Zeng's mother had temporarily moved in with him following the incident.
The man expressed sorrow over the tragedy and headed upstairs to the deceased persons' unit to offer prayers and pay respects.
He also revealed that he planned to buy some incense, candles, food, and other offerings after work to pay his respects to the deceased father and daughter.
Sengkang GRC Member of Parliament Jamus Lim told Shin Min that they have assisted Zeng and his mother in liaising with the Housing and Development Board (HDB) regarding cleanup efforts.
He added that since the deceased's next-of-kin has not yet been contacted, no further assistance could be provided at this time.
Other residents left wondering why the daughter did not get help after her father likely passed away first.
The discovery of the bodies of a father and daughter duo in a Sengkang flat on Oct. 6 has sent shockwaves across country with many left residents in the estate questioning what had happened.
The duo, who reportedly had not been seen for at least a month, were found dead in their unit on the eighth floor of Block 324D Sengkang East Way at around 1pm on Monday.
The discovery was made after a resident living directly below the deceased persons' flat noticed a foul smell and liquid leaking from the ceiling, prompting the woman to alert her son, who contacted the authorities.
Neighbours' speculations
Neighbours told Shin Min Daily News that they suspected that the father had died first, with his daughter passing away a month later.
Several residents interviewed expressed confusion, saying they could not understand why the daughter had stayed in the flat after her father's death without seeking help.
Many of them described the father and daughter pair as "reclusive" and rarely interacted with others in the block.
"Sometimes when we walked past each other in the corridor, they would lower their heads and walk away quickly," one neighbour said.
It was also believed that the daughter had a mental health condition, and was largely dependent on her father.
The same neighbour speculated that after her father's death, the daughter may have been unable to care for herself and eventually died of starvation.
Another neighbour, a 70-year-old woman surnamed Lin, recalled that the father and daughter had moved into the flat with an older woman more than 10 years ago.
However, the older woman passed away a few years ago, leaving the father and daughter alone in the flat.
Residents told Shin Min that the daughter was believed to be a Chinese national, who came to Singapore many years ago and later became a permanent resident.
They also said the father and daughter rarely received visitors, and that the deaths of all three former occupants have left them saddened.
Police appealing for next-of-kin of the deceased daughter
On Tuesday (Oct. 7), the police released an appeal for the next-of-kin of a 47-year-old woman named Xu Na, understood to be the woman who was found dead in the flat with her father.
Anyone with information can call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness.
All information will be kept strictly confidential.
Older woman who lived in the flat previously a tenant
According to the Singapore Land Authority (SLA), as reported in Shin Min, the flat was originally jointly tenanted by Singaporean homeowner Xu Bao Lu (transliteration) and another person named Wang Li Li (transliteration).
Wang passed away in 2016 and her death was registered with the authorities in December 2017.
In addition, records from the Registry of Marriages (ROM) indicated no record of Xu getting married in Singapore, though it is not known if he had been married overseas.
Workers to paint and disinfect the units directly below and above
Authorities have since dispatched workers to disinfect and repaint the affected units above and below the deceased persons' flat.
The son of the resident, who lived directly below the deceased persons' unit, surnamed Zeng, told Shin Min that authorities had sent workers to their unit on Oct. 7 night and Oct. 8 morning to clean and repaint the ceiling of the unit.
"When I was scraping the paint this morning, the smell came back and it was particularly unpleasant," Zeng said, adding that he later burned incense to remove the odour.
Stood outside deceased persons' flat to pay respects
Zeng's mother had temporarily moved in with him following the incident.
The man expressed sorrow over the tragedy and headed upstairs to the deceased persons' unit to offer prayers and pay respects.
He also revealed that he planned to buy some incense, candles, food, and other offerings after work to pay his respects to the deceased father and daughter.
Assistance from Sengkang GRC
Sengkang GRC Member of Parliament Jamus Lim told Shin Min that they have assisted Zeng and his mother in liaising with the Housing and Development Board (HDB) regarding cleanup efforts.
He added that since the deceased's next-of-kin has not yet been contacted, no further assistance could be provided at this time.
