A 69-year-old man was found dead in his flat at Block 478 Sembawang Drive on April 5, 2025. His neighbor called authorities after noticing a bad smell from the unit.
Police received a call for help at about 10:50am on Saturday. The neighbor, Mr. Huang, 52, had detected the odor on Friday but thought it was just a cleanliness issue. The smell grew stronger by Saturday morning.
“When I passed by his unit and smelled a strong stench through the window, I thought something might have happened,” Mr. Huang told Shin Min Daily News.
After calling the elderly man’s phone, Mr. Huang heard it ringing inside the flat. Through the window, he spotted the phone and a wallet in the living room. He also saw flies coming from the unit, which led him to call police right away.
Mr. Huang’s family had last seen the elderly resident the previous Sunday, with nothing unusual about him at that time.
Reporters arrived at the scene around 1pm and found two police cars parked downstairs. A strong smell was noticeable when exiting the elevator on the 10th floor.
Seven to eight officers were present. Some entered the unit to take photos and collect evidence. The body was removed at about 2pm after investigations concluded.
The Singapore Police Force confirmed the elderly man was pronounced dead at the scene. Initial investigations showed no foul play is suspected.
Neighbors said the elderly man had lived alone for about 10 years. Mdm Zhou, a 70-year-old retiree living downstairs, said he would sometimes go for morning exercises or visit the nearby coffee shop.
MS News reported that the man’s wife had died from cancer. Since then, nobody had been seen visiting him, even during festivals.
Another resident mentioned the man had a son who moved out after a disagreement.
Mdm Zhuo, a 72-year-old retired neighbor on the same floor, said the elderly man rarely talked with other residents in the block. She had not seen him for some time before the incident.
The discovery shocked neighbors, with several expressing surprise at the sudden death of the elderly resident.
