Elderly man found dead in Hougang flat shortly after visit from estranged wife
The body of an elderly man was reportedly found in his unit, in yet another case of unnatural death of a person living alone.
As with the previous cases, the death was uncovered after a neighbour detected a foul smell coming from his unit.
Source: Shin Min Daily News
Elderly man found dead on 23 Feb
The discovery was made on Friday (23 Feb) morning at about 11.35am, reported Shin Min Daily News.
The elderly man lived in a unit at Block 630 Hougang Avenue 8.
Source: Google Maps
When reporters arrived at the scene, they found five to six police officers conducting investigations.
A rotting smell also permeated the premises.
Deceased usually seen by himself
A female neighbour who declined to be named said the deceased had lived in his flat for close to 10 years.
The tall and big-sized man was usually seen by himself and would ride his bike out to buy breakfast.
As he liked to hoard items, he would sometimes get into squabbles with neighbours.
Thus, she tended to avoid contact with him.
The last time she saw him was last week, she added.
Foul smell started 3 days ago
About three days before his body was found, the neighbour started smelling something putrid coming from his unit, she said.
Initially, she thought it was a dead lizard or rat, but couldn’t find the source of the stench in her home.
The smell then got worse, causing her to have sleepless nights, she added.
Source: Google Maps
Fearing that something was amiss, she went to the man’s unit on Thursday and found that the smell came from there.
Though she was unsure whether to call the police at first, she did so after other neighbours also thought that something bad had happened.
Deceased’s wife visited flat
Strangely enough, one day before the stench was detected, the man’s wife had visited his flat, the neighbour said.
Though the couple used to live together, the woman moved out long ago.
Thus, she probably forgot where he lived and was seen asking residents for his address downstairs, she added.
While she didn’t explain why she was looking for him, the neighbour brought her to his flat, but nobody answered their repeated knocks.
When they opened his door, they found no sign of the man, though his bedroom door was shut.
She now believes that the man had passed away in his bedroom by that time.
His wife subsequently left after being unable to find him.
Man’s son visited him on 10 Feb
After he was found dead, the man’s son arrived at his flat to identify the body.
He told Shin Min reporters that his father suffered from diabetes, but was still able to go out daily.
The last time he visited him was the first day of Chinese New Year (10 Feb), he said.
At the time, he could converse well, so his death was a surprise.
73-year-old found in Hougang flat pronounced dead at scene
In response to enquiries from Shin Min, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said they responded to a case of unnatural death.
A 73-year-old man was found unconscious in his flat and was pronounced dead, SPF added.
No foul play is suspected, according to preliminary investigations.
Further investigations into the case are ongoing.
Also read: 28-Year-Old Man Found Dead In Pek Kio Flat After Foul Smell Detected
28-Year-Old Man Found Dead In Pek Kio Flat After Foul Smell Detected
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Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News and Google Maps.
