For most of us, not seeing our neighbours for a few days isn’t something that would cause alarm.
That’s until we smell something peculiar.
Unfortunately, the body of an 80-year-old woman was found decomposing in her HDB flat.
Here’s what you need to know.
Body of 80-year-old Woman Found in Holland Drive Flat
The women’s decomposing body was found in her HDB flat at Holland Drive.
According to Shin Min Daily News, residents had not seen her for a week.
One resident had thought that the woman was away, thinking it was the explanation for why the flat’s lights remained off at night.
A police spokesperson said they were alerted to the case at 1.55 pm on 26 March.
According to an unnamed resident, the woman’s next-door neighbour had called the police after noticing a foul smell coming from the flat.
The police found the woman lying motionless.
The unnamed resident told Shin Min Daily News that a locksmith opened the flat’s door at about 3 pm.
The body was removed from the flat at around 5 pm.
The police do not suspect foul play.
Investigations are currently ongoing.
Good Relationship with Neighbours
The woman was a retired teacher who lived alone.
Residents told Shin Min Daily News that she was friendly and on good terms with her neighbours.
The unnamed resident said, “Everyone called her ‘teacher’, as she used to teach at a nearby primary school. Every evening when she went for dinner, she would stop and chat with us.”
Apparently, the woman was unmarried and was born in 1943.
Another 70-year-old resident, Mr Hong, said that the woman had lived in the flat for 40 years and everyone was well acquainted with her.
Others told the Chinese newspaper that the woman used to live with her elder sister until the latter passed away.
According to the residents, the elder sister’s children never visited her.
Similar Incidents
In 2021, the dead body of a 63-year-old man was found in his Toa Payoh flat.
His body was only discovered when neighbours noticed a foul smell from the flat.
Shin Min Daily News reported that he lived alone and most likely died of natural causes.
He was pronounced dead at the scene by a paramedic.
The police did not suspect foul play.
In 2022, an 83-year-old woman was found dead in her Ghim Moh flat.
According to Lianhe Zaobao, the woman’s granddaughter was knocking on the door that day, to no response.
The woman’s granddaughter had knocked on the door for ten minutes.
She managed to push the door open when she noticed multiple flies and a foul smell coming from the flat’s living room.
The woman’s body was found severely decomposed.
No foul play was suspected.
A few days ago, a 33-year-old woman was found dead on the LRT tracks along the Punggol East loop.
Another similar incident occurred at North Bridge Road Market and Food Centre on 19 March.
The hawker centre’s cleaning supervisor assumed a man was sleeping at a table.
He only realised that the man had passed away when he failed to rouse him from his slumber 12 hours later.