According to news reports, the couple had rushed to Woodlands Town Garden on Saturday when they heard someone had drowned in the lake there.
However, police had told them the body was that of an old man.
Two days later, the Chyes found themselves face-to-face with the police again. This time, it was bad news -- their son had indeed drowned in the lake.
Since Friday, they had been searching for their son. Matthew, who had been diagnosed with autism when he was three years old, had slipped out of the Woodlands flat at 10.30 am.
An anonymous reader in Singapore Stomp was shocked when he read the news in the papers today. There could have been a better way to deal with the situation at that time, he says.
The reader wrote to Stomp in his email contribution (Jan 4):
"This is the first time I have read in the papers about police making such a mistake.
"Not to say it is a grave mistake, because we are all human anyway, but police failed to effectively manage the expectations of those involved.
"As a result, the officer could have caused the couple even more grief than they were already experiencing.
"I don't know what the police standard operating procedures are, but if he could not allow the parents to view the body, the least he could have done was to tell the couple that investigations were still ongoing.
"As quoted in the newspapers, the police spokesperson said the slip-up happened for a few reasons.
"The body did not fit the description or the photograph provided. Plus, it seems the couple was unable to conclusively identify the clothing found on the body as belonging to their son.
"Their son was finally identified through his fingerprints.
"Not only does it give our home team bad flak, but it's really a roller-coaster ride of emotion that no one would ever want to go through.
"I hope such a thing will never happen again."
Please share your thoughts with us on this issue. What do YOU think the parents or police should have done?
Source: StraitsTimes
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