Decomposing body of woman, 83, found in Ghim Moh HDB flat, no foul play suspected

[Huat Zai]

 

An 83-year-old woman, who was living alone in an HDB flat in Ghim Moh, was found dead on Aug. 30, 2022, after failing to answer the door, a coroner's court heard on Feb. 27, according to Lianhe Zaobao.

 

 

The deceased woman's granddaughter was knocking on the door that day, but no one answered.

It was also revealed in court that the deceased, surnamed Chua (transliteration), had seven children, but none of them had visited her since 2019, reported Zaobao.

The elderly woman was reportedly last seen by her neighbour in June 2022.

 

What happened

 

According to Zaobao, on the day that Chua's body was found, her granddaughter came to visit and knocked on the door for 10 minutes.

When Chua failed to answer the door, the granddaughter tried to push the wooden door open to find out what was going on, knowing that Chua suffered from hearing loss.

However, through the gap, Chua's granddaughter only noticed multiple flies and a foul smell coming out of the living room, reported Zaobao.

Chua's granddaughter immediately called the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) for assistance.

Upon arriving at the scene, SCDF personnel entered the flat by force and discovered Chua's highly-decomposed body in between the kitchen and bathroom, Zaobao reported.

Her face was reportedly in an advanced stage of decomposition that it was nearly impossible to identify her.

Investigating officers were only able to establish Chua's identity after extracting a portion of her bone marrow from her body and comparing it to that of her son's, reported Zaobao.

 

 

 

Last visit by children in 2019

 

It was also revealed in court that Chua had seven children, but none of them had visited her since 2019, reported Zaobao.

According to Chua's relatives, she did not want her children to visit her and only maintained a close relationship with her granddaughter.

Besides Chua's granddaughter, who visited her occasionally, a social worker had also been keeping an eye on the elderly woman, according to Zaobao.

However, when the social worker visited Chua's home in April 2022, no one answered the door.

 

No foul play suspected

 

According to Zaobao, investigations showed that there was only one key to Chua's flat, and there were no signs of forced entry.

The police have reportedly ruled out the possibility of foul play.

It was also reported that Chua suffered from paranoid delusions, as well as various chronic diseases, including stroke, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

While the pathologist found no external injuries on Chua's body, the cause of her death could not be definitively determined as a result of her body's advanced stage of decomposition, according to Zaobao.

The coroner reportedly recorded the case as an open verdict and offered condolences to Chua's family members.

 

https://mothership.sg/2023/02/woman-dead-ghim-moh-flat/

[chamfer]

Rip

[XianGe]

Rip. Need a flat for elderly

[ODACHEK]

Last visit 2019???