Man, 61, found dead in Ang Mo Kio flat after neighbour smells foul odour
A 61-year-old man was found dead inside his Ang Mo Kio flat after a neighbour smelled an unusual odour coming from the unit.
The incident occurred on July 17 at around 9am at a third-story unit in Block 510, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8.
When Shin Min Daily News reporters visited the scene, a nearby resident, 44-year-old teacher Su Li Anna (transliterated), revealed that the deceased had lived in the unit for 30 to 40 years.
She said he would ride his personal mobility aid (PMA) to a nearby coffee shop almost every morning between 5am and 6am to drink coffee, and would regularly burn incense at home.
However, no one had seen him for the past week, nor had anyone smelled the incense.
Su added that every night, a social worker would hang two meal boxes outside the uncle’s door. Since he occasionally left them untouched and the social worker would clear them away the next day, Su did not immediately notice anything amiss.
On the morning of the incident, Su smelled a strong odour. The unusual signs made her suspect something was wrong, prompting her to call the police.
Neighbours called him ‘Fatty’
The deceased’s family and friends later arrived at the scene.
The deceased’s third older brother, Pan Jia Ying (transliterated), a 68-year-old retiree, shared in an interview that they were a family of eight brothers and two sisters.
The deceased was the seventh child, who rarely kept in touch with the family and only called occasionally to borrow money.
“I haven’t seen him in four or five years. He never married and had no children. Because he was overweight, it became increasingly difficult for him to move around, so he could only rely on his mobility device,” Pan said.
Pan revealed that his younger brother had previously worked as a pest control worker and a cleaner, but stopped working later due to his mobility issues. Because of his excessive weight, neighbours called him “Fatty”.
Wu (transliterated), a 35-year-old dishwasher who lives on the sixth floor, said he had known the deceased for many years and knew he had long struggled with his weight.
“Every morning, he would go to the coffee shop and order a large cup of black coffee and two eggs. I guess he was trying to control his weight,” Wu said.
No foul play suspected
In response to Stomp’s queries, the Singapore Police Force said a 61-year-old man was found lying motionless in a residential unit and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigations are ongoing, but the police do not suspect foul play based on preliminary investigations.
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