| NEWS ARCHIVES |
| |
| Open verdict on skeletal remains found in flat |
| 3 Feb 2010 |
| |
|
By Shaffiq Alkhatib
State Coroner, Victor Yeo has recorded an open verdict in a case involving the remains of a man found in a flat at Block 148 Woodlands Street 13 on 7 May last year.
The identity of the man cannot be determined as the body was extensively decomposed.
The unit located on the fourth floor of the block of flats belonged to a man identified as 48-year old Wong Kok Cheong who is still untraceable.
Police searched Mr Wong’s letterbox and found that it was fully filled with unopened letters addressed to him.
Two shavers, a tongue scraper as well as a comb were taken from the flat and these were sent to the Health Science Authority for DNA profiling.
The HSA also conducted DNA tests on the dead man’s tooth and bone marrow.
But the DNA profile obtained from the bone marrow did not match the ones taken from the seized items.
The profile was not traced to any known person.
The body was discovered after an HDB contract supervisor, Tan Soon Wan entered the flat with two of his workers to conduct a check on the unit.
Mr Tan went to a bedroom and found burn residues in it.
He then spotted the body lying outside an attached bathroom.
Mr Tan alerted the authorities and they found a burnt cigarette lighter as well as metal container among the ashes.
A fire investigation report by the Singapore Civil Defence Force later said that it detected ignitable liquid on the metal container and on the dead man’s trousers.
This suggested a probability that the fire was deliberately started using thinner as an accelerant and the lighter was used to spark off the blaze.
Police did not suspect any foul play and an autopsy report said that the man possibly died from inhaling fumes from the fire.
|