S'pore man, 21, & girlfriend, 16, planned to end lives together by taking drugs, man dies of overdose

A 21-year-old man was found dead at the entrance of a car park.

A coroner's inquiry into his death then revealed that shortly before his death, the man and his then 16-year-old girlfriend both took drugs and etomidate vaporiser pods (Kpods).

It was later revealed that the pair planned to end their lives together by taking large amounts of drugs.

Car park of a shopping mall

According to Shin Min Daily News, the incident happened on Jun. 24, 2025, at around 6:35am.

The investigating officer said that a mall security guard found a mobile phone and a white baseball cap at the car park entrance of a mall in Novena early in the morning.

The guard then found the man, Lim Yong Xiang (transliteration), lying motionless behind a signboard, and he alerted the police.

When the paramedics arrived, Lim's body was stiff, and his pupils were dilated.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

On parole

Shin Min Daily News reported that investigations revealed that Lim lived with his mother, grandmother, and older brother.

He had also been released on parole in May 2024 and was required to wear an electronic monitoring device.

On Jun. 23, Lim had dinner with his family before spending time with his then-16-year-old girlfriend at his house.

His girlfriend noticed Lim's body shaking violently, leading her to believe he was using Kpods.

Lim then invited his girlfriend to take a large amount of drugs with him to end their lives, and she agreed.

The two then consumed methamphetamine while Lim also smoked some Kpods.

The pair later left Lim's home with the intention of withdrawing money from an ATM before heading to Geylang to buy more drugs.

They were staggering as they walked, and Lim collapsed and lost consciousness several times along the way, but he would regain consciousness and continue walking, said Shin Min Daily News.

At around 3am, the two arrived at the mall and sat by the road.

At around 3:11am, Lim lay down and stopped moving.

His girlfriend was frightened and lingered before leaving, saying she was going to get help.

Suicide pact

Before the incident, Lim's girlfriend had apparently told an online acquaintance that the pair planned to end their lives by taking large quantities of drugs, said Shin Min Daily News.

The acquaintance became concerned and went with a relative to check on Lim's home.

However, no one answered, and they decided to call the police.

Investigating officers said the police also found conversations between the girlfriend and the online acquaintance where the girlfriend said that Lim was lying motionless on the ground.

The girlfriend also asked the acquaintance to call the police because she was too frightened and unsure of what to do.

Drug overdose

The investigating officer said the girlfriend did not know where Lim got the drugs, but recalled him saying he got the money to buy drugs by illegally selling personal bank accounts on Telegram to make a "quick buck".

The officer added that Lim had been diagnosed with severe depression and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in 2019, and insomnia and anxiety.

Lim had been taken to hospital several times before after overdosing on medication or drugs.

It was ultimately determined that Lim died from an overdose of drugs, Shin Min Daily News wrote.

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

National Mindline 1771: 1771

SOS 24-hour Hotline: 1-767

Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019

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

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