SINGAPORE: More than a year after a human skeleton was found under a bridge in Kallang Baru, the identity of the deceased remains unknown despite extensive investigations and cross-references with 18 unsolved missing persons cases.
In a set of findings released Wednesday (January 12), state coroner Adam Nahoda announced a public verdict in the case.
The identity and cause of death of the deceased remain unknown. Evidence found during the investigation suggested the deceased was an adult man in his 30s to 60s who died at least six months to a year before his bones were found on November 9, 2020.
Workers erect scaffolding under the bridge at 1 Kallang Place as part of a contract awarded by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in early November 2020.
Around noon on November 9, 2020, a worker erecting scaffolding under the bridge saw a skull in the space below the structure. He immediately sought help from the Land Transport Authority and police were alerted shortly after.
Police at the scene inspected the bottom of the bridge and found skeletal remains scattered on top of the supporting beams. They also found a shirt, underwear, three strands of hair and some strands of hair near the skeleton.
A suitcase, a brown bag and a bag with black and white stripes were found on the riverbank near the entrance to the walkway where workers were building.
The suitcase contained a pair of jeans, a set of underwear, a belt and a sock. Faded receipts were found in black and white bags, but no useful information was gleaned from them.
Pieces of paper with phone numbers were found in the bag, but when police called those numbers, the person who answered was unable to provide any information relevant to the investigation.
The clothes found in the bag produced DNA that did not match the DNA of the deceased. Investigations revealed that they belonged to a homeless man sleeping under a bridge.
Police found no evidence of blunt force injuries in a preliminary investigation to suggest foul play or that the deceased was a victim of any crime prior to his death.
Autopsy
An autopsy was performed on the deceased the day after the remains were found. Forensic pathologists found that there were no remaining organs, flesh or hair and the remains were “completely skeletal.”
The bones were “completely disjointed from each other” and had a brownish discoloration with some small maggots inside the skull.
Forensic pathologists found that the bones belonged to an adult man between the ages of 30 and 60, likely at least six months to a year before the autopsy.
The pathologist added that he was “probably of Mongoloid ethnicity,” using an anthropological term associated with a group of people of Asian ancestry, classified according to physical characteristics.
A forensic dentist examined the skull and found strong muscle attachments to the mandible and other surfaces suggesting it belonged to a man. The tooth wear from brushing suggested he was likely right-handed.
DNA samples taken from the man did not match any samples in the Health Sciences Administration database.
During the investigation, a man identified in court documents as Mr LBP came forward as he suspected the bones belonged to his brother. His brother was reported missing on August 19, 1986.
The bridge is one of the places Mr LBP used to go with his brother, just a short walk from their old home. However, Mr LBP’s DNA sample did not match that of the deceased.
Unresolved missing persons report
From June 2019 to June 2020, police processed 18 outstanding missing persons reports involving men between the ages of 30 and 60. Most of them have been eliminated, and four of them may qualify.
The first Mr LKS was reported missing on 26 August 2019. He was supposed to be 56 in November 2020 and his family last saw him in 1997. He signed divorce papers through attorneys representing him in 2000 and his son filed a missing person report in 2019 because Mr LKS had not paid alimony since 2000.
Police assess the chances of a DNA match for Mr LKS’ son with the deceased are very low and police believe the deceased is unlikely to be Mr LKS as he was missing for a long time before November 2020.
The second, Mr NHS, was reported missing on 5 July 2010. His family last saw him on July 1, 2009, when he told them he was going to Thailand for two weeks.
He did not return to Singapore and his family filed a missing persons report on 5 July 2010. As of November 2020, he will be 41 years old.
However, police found it unlikely the deceased was Mr NHS as his sister recalled his teeth were crooked, unlike the remains, and was told he was still in Thailand.
A third possibility is Mr. NY, a Chinese national who was reported missing on March 20, 2020, and should be 27 as of November 2020. He did not show up for work on March 9, 2020, and his employer filed a missing persons report a few weeks later.
Inspections showed he had not left Singapore, but on January 29, 2021, Mr. New York’s facial features matched CCTV’s facial search results, excluding him.
The last possibility is Mr. CYW, who was reported missing on March 4, 2020, two days after he was last seen. As of November 2020, he will be 40 years old.
However, Mr CYW’s profile matched a CCTV face search on January 31, 2021. The coroner said he remained “at large”. CCTV face-search footage was shown to Mr CYW’s father, but he could not be sure it was his son.
The blood and DNA samples of Mr CYW’s father did not match those of the deceased.
In recording his public verdict, the state coroner said there was no evidence the deceased’s death was linked to foul play.
