‘She’s scared of the cold’: Man unable to claim partner’s body from morgue as they were not legally married
Police are searching for the next-of-kin of a recently deceased woman who resided in Bedok, but her partner of over 30 years is unable to claim her body as the couple were not officially married.
On April 29, police issued an appeal for the next-of-kin of an unidentified woman believed to be known as “Tan Ah May”. She resided at Block 556 Bedok North Street 3 and died on April 15.
When Shin Min Daily News visited the woman’s place of residence, a man named Mr Lu (transliteration) was found to be residing there. The 67-year-old said he had known and lived with the 68-year-old woman — whom he referred to as “Ah May” — for over 30 years.
He also revealed that Tan was born in Indonesia and arrived in Singapore many years ago without any known relatives. She made a living doing odd jobs, but avoided heavy work as she had a weak heart.
Mr Lu recounted chatting with Tan until about 2am on the day of her passing, and did not notice anything amiss.
However, he found Tan, who was known to be an early riser, still lying in bed when he woke up in the morning.
“It was around 7am, and she still hadn’t woken up. I later realised she wasn’t responsive, so I quickly called the ambulance,” Mr Lu said.
In response to Stomp’s queries, an SCDF spokesperson said they were alerted to the incident about 7.20am. One person was conveyed to Changi General Hospital.
Unable to claim body as pair not married
As Mr Lu and Tan did not officially register their marriage, he is unable to claim her body and carry out funeral arrangements.
Noting that Tan’s body had been lying unclaimed at the morgue for the past two weeks, Mr Lu broke down in tears: “She is still in the morgue, no one can claim her. She is scared of the cold, I hope I can claim her body soon so she can leave this world with dignity.”
Anyone with information may call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness.
Lived together for over 30 years
Mr Lu and Tan met through work over 30 years ago, after which they began dating. Breaking down several times during his interview with Shin Min, Mr Lu said Tan had taken care of his now-deceased parents in the past and later took care of his daily needs. He had retired from his job as a taxi driver due to declining health and deteriorating memory.
Although Mr Lu proposed marriage several times, Tan declined, saying she did not want to be tied down.
Tan had not revealed much of her private life to him, but requested to celebrate her birthday on the seventh day of Chinese New Year — also known as “renri” or the universal birthday of humankind.
Mr Lu added that he had intended to bring Tan to eat fish head curry near their home in the week of her unexpected death.
Heartbroken by her death, Mr Lu had only recently discarded the bed Tan slept on, saying he wished to avoid being reminded of her passing.
Couple addressed each other as “husband and wife”
A male neighbour told Shin Min that police officers arrived at the unit after Tan’s passing and asked whether the couple had argued before her death.
However, the neighbour attested that the couple maintained a good relationship, and said he had never heard them argue.
Another female neighbour revealed that Tan and Mr Lu referred to each other as “husband and wife”, and were often seen going out together.
Funeral service provider appointed if body unclaimed
Funeral service providers interviewed by Shin Min said that when a body remains unclaimed for a period of time, the relevant authorities will step in to appoint providers to manage the funeral arrangements.
Roland Tay, founder of Direct Funeral Service and an undertaker known for arranging free funerals for murder victims and the poor, said that if a body remains unclaimed after two weeks, the police will issue an appeal to locate the next-of-kin. If no relatives come forward after some time, the authorities may appoint a funeral service provider to handle the funeral proceedings.
Union Casket founder William Quek added that investigators determine when a body can be claimed, and offered to provide funeral services free of charge if circumstances allow.
“For this type of situation, an authorised person needs to claim the body and complete the relevant procedures. If the deceased passed away in a nursing home, the person in charge there will handle the arrangements.”
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