In 2 Days, 2 Bodies of Elderly Men Who Lived Alone Were Found

In two days, two decomposing bodies were found in two flats, both elderly men who lived alone.

Here’s what happened.

The First Case

The first incident occurred on Wednesday (2 October) at around 8 pm in a fifth-floor unit of Block 5 on Banda Street in Chinatown.

An elderly man who lived alone was found dead in his home, unnoticed by anyone. Unable to bear the foul smell, neighbours and volunteers searched door-to-door for the “source” before finally calling the police, revealing the decomposing body.

A resident told Shin Min Daily News that she had started noticing the smell a few days earlier and had been burning mosquito coils in her home to mask the odor. Her husband Rajah added, “Most of the residents here are elderly and live alone. Many don’t interact much, so we didn’t know who had passed away at first.”

Another resident that she had been smelling the odor for a week before deciding to report it to a social service group when it became unbearable.

Volunteers then searched door-to-door for the “source” before calling the police and uncovering the decomposing body.

A social worker revealed that the deceased was an uncle who kept to himself and rarely participated in community activities. He also shared that the uncle had previously worked as a security guard but had stopped working about two years ago due to heart problems and was recuperating at home. “Three months ago, he wanted to return to work and asked me to help him renew his security license. I never thought he would end up dead in his home,” he said.

Apparently, after receiving feedback from residents about the smell, he went upstairs to search for the source but was unsuccessful. “Later, I searched with the residents and found that the smell was coming from the uncle’s unit. We called him, but there was no answer, so we immediately called the police.”

Police confirmed that they received a call around 7:30 pm on Wednesday about a 72-year-old man found unconscious in his unit. He was subsequently pronounced dead at the scene. Preliminary investigations suggest no criminal elements involved, and investigations are ongoing.

The Second Case

The next incident occurred on the next day (3 October) at 7:35 am in a seventh-floor unit of Block 15 at Lorong 7 Toa Payoh.

An elderly uncle was not seen for five days, and a foul odor permeated the corridor.

The deceased was a 76-year-old uncle. His son said that his parents had divorced over 30 years ago, and his father had later married a woman from Batam. “I came down after receiving a call from the police. My father’s current wife visits occasionally.”

He said that his father was found lying on the bed and was believed to have died in his sleep.

Police confirmed that a 76-year-old man was found motionless in his unit. Preliminary investigations have ruled out foul play, and investigations are ongoing.