Dad & daughter found dead in Sengkang flat: Ex-classmates plan woman's funeral, try to find next-of-kin in China

Former university classmates, with the assistance of the Chinese Embassy in Singapore, have managed to locate the residential address in China of the woman who was found with her father to have passed away in a Sengkang flat.

The friends of the deceased woman, Xu Na, 47 have also banded together to make arrangements for her funeral, Shin Min Daily News reported.

Ex-classmates band together

Xu had obtained a master's degree from the National University of Singapore (NUS), and a doctorate from the University of Cambridge in the UK, it was previously reported.

A 45-year-old classmate of the late woman from NUS informed other peers about Xu's passing, Shin Min reported.

In response, they pooled together resources and leveraged on their contacts in a bid to reach the late woman's next-of-kin.

One friend in the group contacted the Chinese embassy and learned that Xu's registered residential address was in Huanggu District, in Shenyang, China.

Having received this lead, they now intend to reach out to the authorities in China in an attempt to reach the late woman's relatives.

Planning funeral

The friend also said he is seeking legal advice in Singapore to make arrangements for the funeral, but he has to find out the duration of investigations.

As the former classmates were unaware of Xu's religious affiliation in life, they are opting to holding a memorial service for her.

News of her passing came as a shock

Another 46-year-old NUS computer science classmate said he was initially unconvinced that it was Xu who had passed away.

This was due to the news reports that mentioned that residents in Sengkang had observed that the deceased woman could have had a mental health condition.

A former colleague who worked with Xu in France said she appeared to be doing fine then, it was reported.

But he was convinced it was Xu who had indeed died, after the late woman's professor and former colleagues in France confirmed the news.

A brilliant student

According to this former classmate, Xu enrolled in NUS in 1998, took around three years to complete a four-year course, and then went on to pursue a master's degree.

She was described by a former Anglo-Chinese Junior College (ACJC) classmate as reserved, tall, and thin, and someone who took her assignments seriously.

A former junior college teacher interviewed for the piece revealed that Xu was the most outstanding student in his class.

The 55-year-old who taught Xu contacted Shin Min to share that the deceased was an academically accomplished, modest, and likeable student.

The teacher said Xu did not like to bother others: "Even when she came to ask the teacher for help after class, she was very shy. She was truly well-behaved and sensible."

Xu was apparently from a neighbourhood school and then attended ACJC.

However, after the first three months, she had to attend another junior college as she scored C6 for her O-level English paper.

The teacher said: "But she loved ACJC so much that she asked me to intercede with the principal, and the school finally agreed to let her return."

Reserved

She was apparently reserved.

Xu was observed to have been active on Facebook in 2014, with one classmate having last met her in 2012.

It was reported that Xu started a personal blog in 2010.

In it, she documented her experiences living alone in France after completing her doctorate.

Her last update was in 2013.

She maintained a low profile and only posted one photo on social media.

In the few years she was active on the blog, she posted information about her academic qualifications and published papers.

She also indicated that she enjoyed cooking and painting, and posted her art online.

She also took photos of her meals.

Family tragedy

However, her former classmates speculated that Xu may have undergone a traumatic episode after her mother had cancer and eventually passed away.

According to Shin Min, most of those interviewed for the article had lost touch with Xu years ago.

Related stories:

Top photos via Shin Min Daily News & Police