A 75-year-old woman who lived alone was found dead in her seventh-floor flat in Bedok North on Sunday (19 Oct) afternoon.
The tragic discovery was made at Block 102 Bedok North Avenue 4, after visiting relatives detected a foul smell coming from the unit, reported Shin Min Daily News.
Source: Google Maps
After receiving a tip-off from the public of the foul smell at the block, a reporter from the Chinese daily arrived there at about around 6pm that evening.
They found several police vehicles parked downstairs.
At the seventh floor, the stench could be detected as soon as one stepped out of the lift.
Part of the corridor was cordoned off, with several officers conducting investigations and collecting evidence.
The body was taken away at about 8.30pm.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
A neighbour who lived on the same floor told Shin Min that the deceased was a Chinese woman who had lived there alone for over a decade.
She occasionally saw her in the corridor, but had not seen her for weeks and found out about her death only when the police came.
Another neighbour said she never saw anyone visit the deceased.
Similarly, the elderly woman’s death came as a surprise to her, as she appeared to be in good health and did not require a cane or wheelchair to get around.
Meanwhile, a third neighbour said he rarely spoke to the woman, and the last time he saw her was nearly two months ago.
He rarely ran into her as he leaves home early and returns late, he noted, adding:
The last time I saw her was probably around the Hungry Ghost Festival.
At about 12pm on Sunday, three female relatives came knocking at the deceased’s door but nobody answered, said the same male neighbour.
One of them said she was the woman’s goddaughter, and they asked him whether he had seen her recently.
Shortly after, the police arrived, he recalled.
It is believed that the relatives had called the police after detecting the foul odour.
In response to Shin Min’s queries, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said it received a call for assistance at about 3.20pm on 19 Oct.
A 75-year-old woman who was found lying motionless in one of the flats of the block was pronounced dead at the scene.
No foul play is suspected, according to preliminary investigations.
Further police investigations are ongoing.
Also read: 73-year-old man found dead in Bedok North flat, PMA left outside for days
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News and Google Maps.