While the majority of us are confined to our homes during the Circuit Breaker, barely seeing or even speaking to our neighbours, it would not hurt to look out for each other during this time of need—especially for older folks or those who live alone.
For the case of Huang, he had unintentionally discovered a stench emanating from his neighbour's flat in Yishun for over two days.
It was only when the smell intensified did he contact the police immediately on 7 May, as told to Lianhe Wan Bao during an interview.
Daughter Did Not Realise Her Mother Passed on
Authorities were said to have received the report on 7 May at 1.50pm. The police arrived at the scene and found a woman, Weng Hui Qiong, lying near the entrance of the living room with her face facing up—her body already decomposing.
Medical personnel pronounced the 60-year-old dead on the spot in light of the body's "blackened" state and ruled it as a case of unnatural death.
Weng's daughter, reportedly 30-year-old had been by her mother's decaying body and did not seem to have realised that her elderly mother passed away.
Both mother and daughter lived in Block 704 Yishun Ave 5, according to Lianhe Wan Bao. The pair had been living here for around 30 years, said Huang.
It was said that Weng's daughter did not know how to report the incident to the police, and did not dare to leave the flat. She accompanied her mother's decaying body for around 5 days.
Prior to her death, Weng had been working as a coffee shop staff who collects used dishes. However, she had stopped working after the Circuit Breaker was implemented.
Neighbours Said Mother-daughter Pair Appear To Have Mental Problems
A couple of neighbours who were interviewed by Lianhe Wan Bao said that they had not seen the mother-daughter pair leaving their homes for about four to five days prior to Weng's death.
Huang commented that while Weng's daughter is likely to be over 30-years-old, she still behaves like a child. He also noted that she has "low IQ" and often walks around hugging a doll.
"I am not sure if she knew what had happened to her mother. Even after the police told her that her mother had passed away, she did not respond."
Another neighbour who goes by Mrs Tan lamented that the family is "poor" and "are very pitiful" to Lianhe Wan Bao.
Tan also noted that both mother and daughter appear to have some mental problems. Even so, she said that Weng would still "greet and chat with neighbours and is still able to go to work".
On the other hand, the daughter's condition seem to be more severe, only following her mother when she leaves home but never utters a word.
While neighbours did not divulge much about the family, it was made known that Weng's husband was deceased and did not live with his wife and daughter.
Thus far, 6 relatives have come to identify and claim Weng's body in preparation for mortuary procedures.