Mother and son found dead in Penang after foul odour fills their room
On Tuesday (3 March), the bodies of a 72-year-old mother and her 39-year-old son were found in their apartment at Teluk Kumbar, Penang.
The Penang Fire and Rescue Department received a police report at 8.17pm after neighbours reported a foul stench from a nearby unit.
Bodies found inside apartment unit
Authorities broke into the apartment and found both the mother, Lee Tet Khim, and son, Lam Tong Hoong, dead in their home.
Ms Lee was found dead in her living room while her son was in the bedroom.
Both victims are believed to have been dead for several days.
Source: Sinar Harian
Their bodies have been transported to the hospital mortuary for a post-mortem to determine the exact cause of death.
Son lived with mother’s dead body before passing away
According to medical staff, Ms Lee had likely been deceased for 10 days.
Mr Lam is believed to have died only two days before being discovered.
Oriental Daily News also suggested that he had lived alongside his mother’s body for over a week before he himself passed away.
Last contact with neighbour on 21 Feb
A local hawker from a nearby block revealed that his latest text exchange with Mr Lam was on 21 Feb.
In the message, Mr Lam mentioned he was feeding his mother cereal and admitted feeling unwell and physically weak.
Quits his job to care for ailing mother
Mr Lam previously worked as a deliveryman but quit six months ago to provide full-time care for his ailing mother.
With no stable income, they struggled to make ends meet, with Ms Lee often having to ask vendors for free meals while Mr Lam often survived on instant noodles.
Source: Sirap Limau
Family lost contact with daughter
According to Sin Chew Daily, the pair had moved from Balik Pulau about four or five years ago.
Neighbours noted they were reclusive and had almost no visitors.
While the mother reportedly has a daughter, they had long since lost contact.
Also read: Elderly couple found dead in Punggol HDB flat, police investigating unnatural deaths
Elderly couple found dead in Punggol HDB flat, police investigating unnatural deaths
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Featured image adapted from Sinar Harian and Sirap Limau.
