Man, 65, found dead in Telok Blangah flat after he failed to report for work & boss looked for him

A 65-year-old man was found dead in his flat at Telok Blangah Crescent after he failed to show up for work and an individual, believed to be his employer, went to look for him at home.

The deceased, who worked as a cleaner, was subsequently found dead in his unit after the police were alerted.

Details of the scene

Shin Min Daily News reported that the man's body was discovered at around 12pm at a 10th floor rental flat at Block 3 Telok Blangah Crescent.

A resident in the block, Chua, 72, who lives on the same floor as the deceased, contacted Shin Min and said he witnessed many police officers at the scene.

A smell was also detected along the corridor.

He only realised later that his neighbour had died.

When Shin Min arrived at the scene at 5pm, there were a number of police cars under the block and police officers were entering and leaving the rental flat.

At around 6pm, the police carried the deceased's body into a vehicle.

A quiet man

Chua revealed that the deceased lived alone and seldom interacted with neighbours, often keeping to himself and drinking alone.

A 68-year-old resident, Hong, who lives in the unit opposite the deceased, said the deceased worked as a cleaner and had stayed in the unit for over 10 years.

He said he saw a man knocking on the deceased's door a few hours before he was discovered, and assumed the individual was likely the boss or superior.

Hong told the man who showed up that he last saw the deceased two to three days ago.

Hong added: "Someone asked me in the morning if I could smell something foul. That made me notice that there was a slight foul stench."

Another neighbour said he would previously see the deceased alone holding one or two cans of beer.

Why the deceased lived alone

Neighbours said the deceased lived with his sister until she died two years ago.

Hong, who lived in the block for over 50 years, said the deceased's father and sister initially lived together in the same unit.

The deceased moved in with his sister after their father died many years ago.

Some friends were seen visiting the unit previously.

Foul smell

An elderly woman, 70, who lives in the unit above the deceased, said she started to smell an odour coming from outside the house on Jul. 20, but was not sure where it was coming from.

She said: "It was like a rancid smell that made me feel like vomiting. The next day the smell entered my house and I had to close the windows as I could not stand it."

She added: "I believe he was dead for a few days before being discovered."

Top photos via Shin Min Daily News & Google Maps