Singapore — The recent arrest of a man in the 2007 Felicia Teo case has inspired one family whose daughter was murdered in 1995 to come forward in the hopes of a similar outcome.
Lim Shiow Rong was only seven years old when she went missing on June 24, 1995. The little girl told her mother, who was working at the family-owned coffee shop in Toa Payoh at the time, that she was going off to meet “Papa’s friend”.
This was the last time anyone saw her alive.
By 9.30 that evening, she was reported missing.
On the following day, her body was found in the vicinity of a drain at Jalan Woodbridge. The cause of death: Strangulation. The child had also been raped and her underwear was found with bloodstains.
And while a description of the little girl’s possible killer was circulated shortly after her body was found, no person matching the description was ever discovered.
On Jan 10 (Sunday), Shiow Rong’s family made a public appeal for help in finding her murderer, in collaboration with Crime Library Singapore, a non-profit organisation whose aim is to promote the awareness and prevention of crime.
“The grieving family is appealing to the public for the first time for more information for the police to make arrest in this case. The appeal is done by victim’s Sister in English and Chinese language.
The Lim family told the media that they were appealing to the public as they have had no updates about Shiow Rong’s death for a number of years.
The child’s father, Mr Lim Kim Siong, who was in jail on a drug-related conviction at the time of his daughter’s death, approached the police in 1997 and 1998, only to be told that there were no new developments.
His younger daughter said that after coming home upon serving his jail time, he was a changed man.
He went to the police again after some years to tell them that some men had approached his other daughter, but nothing came out of it.
In 2016, he died of an aneurysm.
Both he and the child’s mother, Madam Ang Goon Lay, were beset with guilt for years since their daughter’s death.
Shiow Rong’s younger sister, Ms Lim Jia Hui, now 27, told the media that she has made it her mission to find her sister’s killer in order to help her mother find closure after all these years.
“My mum lives in guilt. She thinks that she didn’t take care of her daughter enough (and) blames herself.
“So this is why I want to find the murderer. I don’t want her to live in guilt,” the straitstimes.com reported the victim’s sister as saying.
She added: “I don’t want this to be a regret if I am not able to find my sister’s killer. I have to step up.”
Ms Lim’s appeal may be seen in this video shared by Crime Library Singapore.
She was reported by todayonline.com as saying: “Maybe people have already forgotten about my sister’s case, but I hope all of you can help me. Those who now have some recollections, I appeal to you to please let us or the police know.”
/TISG