Man, 80, last seen alive on New Year’s Eve, found dead in Defu carpark

Singapore – The body of a man reported missing on New Year’s Day was discovered ion Jan 3 at a carpark in Defu Lane.

After William Leck Swe Chua was reported missing, the police posted a notice on Jan 2 appealing for more information on his whereabouts.

The appeal said that Mr Leck, who had dementia, was last seen near Block 313 Hougang Avenue 5 where he lived. on Dec 31, 2021. His family said they lost contact with him at around 6:30 pm on Jan 1 and reported him missing.

Then  last Monday, his  body was found in a ditch near a heavy vehicle carpark at 42 Defu Lane 7 , according to the Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zanbao.

Reports noted that Mr Leck’s body was discovered 1.3 km away from his residence.

His 22-year-old granddaughter  told reporters that Mr Leck was  diagnosed last year as having  dementia,    which affects mental processes and impairs reasoning and memory. So they hired someone to take care of him. When  the caregiver told the family he had disappeared, the family tried searching the neighbourhood to no avail.

It was reported that the Leck family could not fathom how he could have reached such a remote area.

Mr Leck was pronounced dead at the scene. His case was ruled an unnatural death but homicide or foul play were ruled out early on. Police investigations are ongoing.

An elderly man was also found dead after being retrieved from the waters off East Coast Park in March last year. The 62-year-old man was a frequent visitor to the park, where he would enjoy fishing. /TISG

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