Woman Found Dead In Api Api River In Pasir Ris After Going Missing On 16 Jan
Going abroad to work can be a tremendous growth opportunity. But oftentimes, it leaves loved ones, especially parents, worried.
For one Malaysian family, their nightmare started when 22-year-old Khoo Yee Joo, who had been working in Singapore as a Chinese tutor, went missing on Sunday (16 Jan).
Family and friends subsequently made a police report and frantically gathered information via Facebook in a bid to locate her.
However, on Tuesday (18 Jan) night, their worst fears were confirmed when the police found Khoo’s body in Api Api River at Pasir Ris.
Malaysian woman in Singapore went missing on 16 Jan
Khoo, who hails from Kedah, Malaysia, worked in Singapore as an assistant Chinese tutor 4 months ago.
After coming over to Singapore, Khoo lived with her aunt, Ms Huang, in her Toa Payoh flat.
The 22-year-old was typically punctual when returning home from work. She would also inform her aunt before going out with friends on her off days.
However, on Sunday (16 Jan), Ms Huang received a text from her sister, saying that Khoo was uncontactable.
When Ms Huang returned home at about 10pm, she discovered that Khoo wasn’t home. She also wasn’t responding to text messages or calls.
Ms Huang immediately engaged help from neighbours to locate Khoo in the nearby areas.
She even went to Khoo’s workplace in Chai Chee to locate her but to no avail.
Later on Tuesday (18 Jan), a Facebook post about Khoo’s disappearance, which has since been removed, was shared.
Apparently, she was last seen at the bus stop opposite Chai Chee Industrial Park at about 6pm on 16 Jan.
The poster also urged the public to look for Khoo and contact the OP if they see her.
Parents intended to fly to Singapore to find their daughter
Ms Huang later contacted 2 of Khoo’s colleagues. According to them, after work on 16 Jan, they walked to the bus stop opposite Chai Chee Industrial Park together.
When 3 buses arrived at the same time, 2 of them walked towards the 1st bus.
They also saw Khoo walking towards the last bus but could not confirm if she boarded it, reported Lianhe Zaobao.
Back in Kedah, Malaysia, Khoo’s parents were worried sick.
Her mother, Huang Yan Jie, shared that Khoo loved working as a Chinese tutor and cherished the opportunity greatly.
Although she mentioned that some of the younger students were harder to handle, Khoo was apparently still managing her emotions well.
After learning of her disappearance, Khoo’s parents made plans to fly to Singapore to locate their daughter.
Body of missing woman found in Pasir Ris river
Unfortunately, Khoo’s parents never got the chance to see their daughter again.
On Tuesday (18 Jan), 3 days after going missing, Khoo’s corpse was found in Sungei Api Api at Pasir Ris.
According to China Press, a Malaysian news outlet, the police were informed of a body in the river at about 7.11pm that day.
After bringing the corpse to shore, paramedics declared her dead at the scene.
Preliminary investigations confirmed that the identity of the deceased was 22-year-old Khoo.
Police have since ruled out the possibility of it being a homicide case.
During an interview with Lianhe Zaobao, Khoo’s mother said she was still grieving from the tragedy.
She shared that Khoo’s body was found without her personal belongings and that the authorities had to use fingerprints to confirm her identity.
Her aunt in Singapore will reportedly handle Khoo’s funeral arrangements.
Condolences to Khoo’s loved ones
Having a child go missing in a foreign country before finding out that they have passed away is highly distressing.
We can only imagine the pain and grief Khoo’s loved ones are going through now.
MS News sends our sincerest condolences to Khoo’s friends and family. May she rest in peace.
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Featured image adapted from Annie Wong on Facebook and Google Maps.
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