Ang Mo Kio residents thought foul stench came from dead rat, turns out woman, 57, had died alone at home
Residents of an Ang Mo Kio HDB initially thought that a horrible stench that plagued the block came from a dead rat, but later discovered that it was from a woman who had died alone at home.
Police found the 57-year-old woman lying motionless in the living room of her third-floor unit at Block 464 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 on the morning of Sept 22.
Foul stench spreading throughout the HDB in Ang Mo Kio
When Shin Min Daily News reporters arrived at the scene, the unit’s doors and windows were tightly shut, but a strong, pungent stench could still be detected from outside.
Mr Zhuo (transliterated), one of the neighbours, described the smell as “pungent”, even after spraying air fresheners.
He mentioned that his family began detecting the stench about two to three days ago and initially assumed that it was from a dead rat.
On the morning of Sept 22, Zhuo’s grandmother spotted that the unit’s door was left ajar.
She alerted the authorities after noticing flies buzzing around the door and realising that the stench was coming from inside the unit.
When police officers opened the door at around 11am, the stench became so intolerable that neighbours living on the same level shared marks with one another.
Woman was living in the unit alone
According to Zhuo, the deceased had been living alone in the three-room flat for more than 10 years.
“She was usually very quiet and rarely spoke to us. The last time I saw her was about a week ago,” he said.
Zhuo also revealed that the deceased used to live with her parents, but she ended up staying there alone after their deaths.
In response to Stomp’s queries, the police said they were alerted to the incident at about 10.50am on Sept 22. The woman was subsequently pronounced dead at the scene.
Based on preliminary investigations, the police do not suspect foul play.
Investigations are ongoing.
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