“Decomposing Body of 68-Year-Old Woman Discovered in Ang Mo Kio Flat, Suspected Shower Fall “

A 68-year-old woman living alone in an HDB flat in Ang Mo Kio was found dead on April 29, after a neighbor reported a strong foul smell emanating from her unit.

The Singapore Police Force confirmed that they were alerted to the case of unnatural death at Block 224 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 at 10:30 AM on Saturday. Upon arrival, officers discovered the woman lying motionless in her flat; she was pronounced dead at the scene by a Singapore Civil Defence Force paramedic. Preliminary investigations suggest that foul play is not suspected.

According to her neighbor, Joanna (transliteration from Mandarin), the last sighting of the deceased was on April 27, two days before her body was discovered. At that time, the woman was sitting in her living room as usual. However, by April 28, Joanna noticed that the doors and windows of the flat were shut. When she walked past the unit around noon, she detected an unpleasant odor but did not knock on the door as the smell was not overpowering.

That evening, Joanna went to check on her neighbor after noticing she had not seen the woman all afternoon. “No one answered the door, but I could hear the sound of running water coming from the kitchen. I thought she must be showering, so I left,” Joanna recounted.

It wasn’t until another male neighbor noticed the strong foul smell on April 29 that Joanna decided to alert the authorities. When police arrived and opened the door, a swarm of flies emerged, and the entire corridor was filled with a putrid odor. The woman was found lying on the bathroom floor.

Neighbors speculated that she likely fell while showering on Thursday, leading to her death.

The deceased was described as an introvert who rarely interacted with others or left her flat except to pick up takeaways. Despite her solitude, neighbors had previously invited her to community activities, hoping to engage her socially.

Two relatives of the deceased shared that she had lived with her aunt in the same unit until her aunt’s passing six years ago. They expressed disbelief at the suddenness of her death, noting that they had often included her in family gatherings during festive occasions.