Woman, 26, dies of poisoning after drinking with ex-boyfriend in his Bedok home

A 26-year-old woman who went to meet her ex-boyfriend in April 2022 subsequently passed away from poisoning after both of them became unconscious during their meeting.

Died of GHB poisoning

A coroner's inquiry on Jan. 15 revealed that Sophia Wong and her ex-boyfriend, Zhong Junming (transliteration), were found unconscious at his residence in Bedok on Apr. 15, 2022, Shin Min Daily News reported.

Both were rushed to hospital, where Wong eventually passed away several days later.

The investigating officer for the case said autopsy results showed that Wong had died of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) poisoning.

Ex-boyfriend claimed he knew nothing

Zhong was summoned to testify at the inquiry.

He said he had been out drinking the night before and returned home at 5am, only to find Wong waiting for him outside his house.

They went to a nearby park to talk about their relationship, but Zhong eventually took Wong back to his home.

When they returned to his place, Zhong said they continued to talk, and he continued to drink.

Zhong said he got drunk and found himself in hospital when he woke up.

He claimed he only learned about Wang's death when he was discharged from hospital.

The investigating officer added that when the police arrived at around 8:29am, they found a variety of liquors and wine in the room.

Wanted friend to help persuade ex-boyfriend to get back with her

Cai (transliteration), a friend of Wong, testified that he received a call from her at about 6am on the day of the incident.

He said Wong had asked him to persuade Zhong to get back together with her.

According to Cai, Wong and Zhong were together for five months before they split up.

Cai said it was apparently because Zhong took issue with Wong for having been an "escort" before.

He said that halfway through his conversation with Wong, Wong suddenly shouted, "Don't drink that! Spit it out!"

Cai then said Wong asked him to call the ambulance.

He didn't expect Wong to end up in the hospital too.

When asked if he knew what Zhong had drank, Cai said towards the end of the call Wong seemed to have said that Zhong had drunk a glass of GHB.

When the coroner asked Cai why he had only recalled this, Cai replied that he had been constantly reliving the incident over the past two years.

An ambiguous message & a possible unsolved rape case

The investigation officer revealed that the police had found a text message on Wong's handphone that read, "Goodbye, my dearest."

However, the officer said that it was impossible to conclude whether it was a suicide note or that she had wanted to start her life anew.

Further investigations showed that she had called the police just four days before her death to report that she was raped.

However, when a police officer tried to reach out to her, she refused to pick up the phone and only replied through a text message that she didn't want to make a police report anymore. She also refused further requests to talk on the phone.

The next day, Wong messaged the police officer again and said she wanted to talk to a counsellor. When the officer replied to arrange a time, she said she no longer wanted to do so.

Through a more detailed investigation of her messaging records after her death, the investigation officer believed that she might have been a victim of rape as there were instances of her confronting the alleged perpetrator.

However, the police were unable to trace his identity.

At the end of the hearing, the coroner said he would conclude his findings after the investigating officer investigated the matter further, as there were still many unresolved questions.

Helplines

If you or someone you know are in mental distress, here are some hotlines you can call to seek help, advice, or just a listening ear:

SOS 24-hour Hotline: 1-767

Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019

Institute of Mental Health: 6389-2222 (24 hours)

Tinkle Friend: 1800-274-4788 (for primary school-aged children)

SHECARES@SCWO: Call: 8001 01 4616 | WhatsApp: 6571 4400 (for targets of online harms)

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