Eight-month-old baby Trevor Neo passed away at KK Women's and Children's Hospital on Sep. 2, which left his relatives grief-stricken as they loved him very much.

"It was very difficult for us to accept that we have lost Trevor forever. He was so young," his grandaunt told Shin Min Daily News as her eyes filled with tears.

Trevor's parents, 21-year-old Chloe Gan Ci Xuan and 25-year-old Neo Jia Ming, were charged on Sep. 3 with their child's death.

While Gan was accused of causing Trevor's death, Neo was accused of allowing his death to occur.

Court proceedings and documents did not specify what Gan did to the baby, according to Shin Min.

Couple lived with Neo's uncles

However, court documents stated that the couple allegedly committed their offences in a residential unit at a Housing and Development Board (HDB) block in Hougang on Sep. 1, reported Shin Min.

When Shin Min reporters visited the home on Sep. 3 evening, they found that Gan and Neo had been living with two of Neo's uncles in the unit.

One of Neo's aunts and another uncle lived in another unit on the same floor.

Couple placed baby under care of babysitter & other family members

Neo's youngest uncle told Shin Min that Neo had been living with him since secondary school after his relationship with his family members soured.

Gan moved into the unit after she started dating Neo, and the couple had been living together for about a year.

Later on, Gan became pregnant with Trevor before she and Neo registered their marriage, said the uncle.

In August 2023, the couple tied the knot officially and celebrated their marriage by "treating friends and family members to a buffet".

After Gan gave birth, she lived with her own family for two months for her postpartum confinement before moving back to Neo's uncle's unit.

"Since then, the couple placed Trevor under the care of a babysitter in the morning. I also started caring for him at around the same time," said the uncle.

Couple 'rarely' spoke to family members

According to Neo's aunt, Neo worked in the logistics industry, while Gan worked in the pet industry, reported Shin Min.

Despite living in the same HDB block as their family members, the couple "rarely talked or shared life updates with them", said the aunt.

This observation was concurred by Neo's youngest uncle, who added that Neo and Gan liked to lock themselves in their bedroom.

Most of his conversations with the couple involved when to feed Trevor, he said.

Shin Min reported that it understands that Neo and Gan would normally leave their room at around 7am, and Neo would bring Trevor to the babysitter's place.

After the couple got off work, Neo would bring Trevor back and placed him under the care of Neo's youngest uncle.

"On weekends, they would occasionally bring Trevor to Gan's family. The senior members of our family would also take care of Trevor at times," said the uncle.

What allegedly happened before Trevor's passing

Neo's uncle told Shin Min he brought Trevor into his parent's bedroom and placed him on the cradle at around 9pm on Sep. 1.

At the time, Neo was believed to have been playing mobile games on his phone, which is one of his hobbies, while Gan had just walked out of the bathroom, recounted the uncle.

Neo's uncle told the baby that they could hang out tomorrow and asked him to sleep soon before leaving the bedroom.

Little did the uncle know that this would be the last interaction he would ever have with baby Trevor.

Couple brought Trevor to hospital around midnight

At around 11:30pm, the uncle heard someone locking the door, so he walked out of his bedroom to find out more, reported Shin Min.

He then saw Gan standing at the entrance of the flat, with Trevor "strapped to her back".

Neo then told him that they would be bringing Trevor to the hospital.

"I didn't see Trevor's face at the time, so I didn't know what happened. At around 2am on Sep. 2, I heard the shocking news that Trevor had passed away," said the uncle.

Police cordoned off couple's bedroom

Soon after Neo's uncle learnt about Trevor's passing on Sep. 2, the police arrived at his unit for investigations and interviewed him, reported Shin Min.

Later on, Neo and Gan were also brought to the scene, and the police began taking photos in their bedroom.

At around 10am, the police came to the flat for investigations again and seized some items.

Neo's uncle said the police locked the couple's bedroom afterwards and instructed him not to open it as they might return for further investigations.

He also put up a handwritten note at the bedroom door, stating that the door should be kept shut per police instructions.

Senior family members grief-stricken

Neo's youngest uncle added that when he went to record his statement at the police station, he was so angry at the couple that he did not even look them in the eye, reported Shin Min.

"I was worried that I would lose my temper if I looked at them. I couldn't believe that Trevor would pass away in merely two hours," shared the uncle.

According to him, Trevor did not even know how to walk, as he had just started learning how to stand on his own.

Likewise, Neo's aunt also shared that it was difficult for the rest of the family to accept the fact that they had lost Trevor forever.

To her, Trevor was a lively and cheerful baby who would give "the sweetest smile" to those who called him a "handsome boy".

Family wanted to celebrate Trevor's 1st birthday

According to Shin Min, Neo's mother was seen carrying two bags of items when seven members of the family showed up at the Singapore General Hospital to retrieve Trevor's body on Sep. 4 morning.

Neo's youngest uncle shared that the family also brought Trevor's favourite clothes, toys, and milk powder.

"Initially, we wanted to celebrate Trevor's first birthday at the end of 2024. However, we can't do that anymore," he lamented.

The uncle added that the family will send Trevor's body for cremation and will not be hosting a funeral for him as he was too young.

Couple's case adjourned

Gan and Neo's case was adjourned to Sep. 24, reported The Straits Times.

Those convicted of causing or allowing the death of a child below 14 years old in the same household could be jailed for up to 20 years and fined or caned.

However, in Gan's case, she cannot be caned as she is a woman.

Top images via Shin Min Daily News