2 cases of dying alone in S'pore in a day: Man found dead in Kim Keat flat, woman found dead in Sengkang flat

A man and a woman who reportedly lived alone were recently pronounced dead on the same day in separate units in two different parts of Singapore after their neighbours were said to have encountered a strong smell.

The first death involving a 74-year-old man was discovered on the morning of Mar. 23, 2026, Shin Min Daily News reported, adding that this occurred in Kim Keat Avenue.

Elderly man

Upon visiting the scene, Shin Min noted there were police cars and officers present.

A resident living on the same floor as the 74-year-old man told Shin Min that the elderly man was believed to have lived alone and had never seen anyone visit him.

He added that the elderly man who had lived in that unit for over seven years went out regularly and did not have any mobility issues.

"We weren't familiar with him, we only greeted him occasionally," the resident said.

Responding to Mothership's queries, the police confirmed being alerted at about 6:50am on Mar. 23, 2026, to a case of unnatural death at Block 194 Kim Keat Avenue.

A 74-year-old man was found motionless in a residential unit and was pronounced dead at scene.

Based on preliminary investigations, the police do not suspect foul play, and police investigations are ongoing.

Woman

The other death involved a woman who was supposedly middle-aged, according to Shin Min, who was at the scene on the afternoon of Mar. 23 in Rivervale Drive.

Her neighbours living on the same floor told Shin Min that the woman had reportedly lived in that unit for a long time.

"She used to live with her mother, but her mother passed away, and she has been living alone ever since," her neighbours said. "She doesn't usually interact with people, so no one knows her well."

A 59-year-old man living on one of the floors below the woman said he had recently seen her hanging laundry.

According to the man, the woman's house was supposedly always dark, and "it was unclear whether there was a power outage".

In response to Mothership's queries, the police said they were alerted at about 3:30pm on Mar. 23, to a case of unnatural death at Block 117A Rivervale Drive.

A woman was found motionless in a residential unit and was pronounced dead at scene.

Based on preliminary investigations, the police do not suspect foul play, and police investigations are ongoing.

Top photos via Shin Min Daily News