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A 54-year-old man passed away in an HDB flat and his mother kept the corpse at home for over a week as she was believed to have been reluctant to give up her beloved son.
The incident occurred at a fifth floor unit at Block 85 Commonwealth Close, Shin Min Daily News reported.
Man not seen in a week
A reporter at the scene on June 21 said a rancid odour could be detected from the corridor.
A neighbour, who moved into the block over a decade ago, said the mother-and-son pair had lived there longer than her.
She described the man as “emaciated” and said he would typically come out of his house at eight or nine in the morning to hang the laundry and water the flowers.
Although she had not seen him for a week, she didn’t expect that he had passed away.
The police removed the body at around 6:45pm.
The police confirmed that they received a report about an unnatural death at 12:38pm.
They have ruled out murder during preliminary investigations, but are investigating.
Rancid odour detected
A neighbour, who declined to be named, shared that a stench emanated from the house earlier in the week but thought nothing of it initially.
It was only when the smell got worse that the police were called as the worry was that something had happened to the occupants of the house.
Locksmith engaged to open door
After the police arrived, they reportedly waited outside of the flat for an hour as no one answered.
A locksmith was subsequently engaged to open the door.
The man was found face down in the living room and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The body was in a state of decomposition, the Chinese report noted.
A neighour interviewed said: "As soon as the police officers entered, I heard the old woman crying, probably because she was reluctant to have her child taken away."
"I felt sad when I heard it. After all, it was a white-haired person sending off a black-haired person, so how can she accept it?"
A white-haired person refers to someone elderly, while a black-haired person is taken to mean a relatively younger individual.
According to the Chinese media, the deceased man's body lying in the living room was covered in houseflies.
House cleaned after body removed
After the body was removed, an elderly woman with white hair, who was wearing pyjamas and glasses, picked up a broom and started to clean the living room, which was covered with newspapers.
A middle-aged woman was also helping to clean the house.
Four other people were waiting in the corridor, but they declined to be interviewed.
A neighbour said the elderly woman and her son had always appeared withdrawn and never spoke to neighbours.
The elderly woman would even go back to her house if she sees other residents.
Top photo via Shin Min Daily News