69-year-old man found dead in Sembawang flat after neighbour detects foul odour

Elderly man found dead in Sembawang flat had lived alone for 10 years

An elderly man has been found dead inside his flat in Sembawang after his neighbour detected a foul odour.

The sad discovery was made in Block 478 Sembawang Drive on Saturday (5 April), reported Shin Min Daily News.

Source: Google Maps

Large police presence reported at Sembawang block

A reader alerted the paper to a large police presence in the block on Saturday.

When reporters arrived at 1pm, two police cars were parked downstairs, with a strong stench detected as soon as the lift opened on the 10th floor.

Source: Shin Min Daily News on Facebook

About seven to eight officers were at the scene, with some entering the unit to take photos and collect evidence.

The body was removed at about 2pm after investigations concluded.

Source: Shin Min Daily News

Neighbour alerted police after smelling stench

A next-door neighbour named only as Mr Huang (transliterated from Mandarin) told Shin Min that the last time his family saw the elderly man was last Sunday.

Nothing unusual was noticed about him at the time, said the 52-year-old who works in the sales industry.

However, he started smelling something strange on Friday (4 March) but thought it was a cleanliness issue.

But on Saturday morning, he smelt the stench when passing by his neighbour’s flat and realised that something could have happened to him.

He called the old man and heard his phone ringing inside his flat, then saw the phone and a wallet in his living room.

He also noticed flies coming out from the unit and called the police immediately.

Elderly man lived alone for 10 years, rarely spoke to neighbours

Another neighbour, 70-year-old retiree Mdm Zhou, was shocked by the elderly man’s death.

She said the deceased’s wife had passed away from cancer. Since then, nobody had been seen visiting him, even during festivals.

Another resident said the man had a son who moved out after a quarrel.

After that, the deceased lived alone for about 10 years, neighbours added.

Neighbour Mdm Zhuo, a 72-year-old retiree, said he rarely spoke to them and she had not seen him for a long time.

No foul play suspected after man found dead in Sembawang

In response to queries from MS News, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said it received a call for assistance at about 10.50am on 5 April.

A 69-year-old man was found lying motionless inside a residential unit in Block 478 Sembawang Drive, it added.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Source: Shin Min Daily News on Facebook

No foul play is suspected, based on preliminary investigations.

Also read: 71-year-old man found dead in Aljunied flat, skeletal remains reportedly seen

Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.

Featured image adapted from Shin Min Daily News and Shin Min Daily News on Facebook.