The decomposing bodies of 66-year-old Lee Gek Lan and her 27-year-old son Toh Boon Siong were discovered hanging in a locked bedroom in their apartment at Block 727, Tampines Street 71 on Monday, in what appears to be a double suicide.
According to the Chinese daily, the gruesome scene was discovered by Lee’s son-in-law when he returned to the flat after a three-day stay at the hospital for an operation.
Paramedics who arrived at the scene after 4pm on Monday, along with the police, pronounced the mother and son dead. No foul play is suspected at this time.
It is believed that Toh was suffering from severe depression but it is unclear if his depression is linked to their deaths.
Neighbours have told reporters that the family who moved into their Tampines flat two years ago were quiet and rarely seen. One neighbour, Madam Ho who has lived in the block for over 20 years, said, “Their door is always closed and we rarely see them.”
Another neighbour, a 59-year-old packer named Madam Gina, said she regularly walks past the unit but has never seen the deceased mother and son before: “The family is very quiet. We don’t know much about them.”