SINGAPORE: A coroner’s court on Tuesday (Aug 8) recorded an open verdict in the death of a 44-year-old man, whose body was found decomposing in a flat in Toa Payoh in October last year.
Mr Raymond Pang Yoke Heng lived alone in the flat at Block 126, Toa Payoh Lorong 1, for several years after his parents and sister died.
The court heard that he was unemployed when he died, although a relative said he was working as a security guard before the COVID-19 pandemic.
A neighbour named only as Madam Tan said she had last seen Mr Pang on Oct 4, 2022.
She walked past Mr Pang’s flat three days later and detected a foul smell. Initially, she thought nothing of it, but checked again the next day.
She then sensed a persistent foul smell and noticed there were many flies.
She called the police saying she had not seen her neighbour in the past few days and had checked with another neighbour, who similarly had not seen Mr Pang.
Two police officers arrived at the flat at about 5pm on Oct 8, 2022. When Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officers joined them a while later, they pried open one of the windows and saw Mr Pang lying on a bed in a bedroom.
The SCDF officers cut open a metal chain securing the gate and entered the flat with the police.
Mr Pang was found lying on the bed and was in an “obvious decomposed state”, the coroner said. There were maggots on the body and the skin had visibly darkened.
He was pronounced dead that same day.
Mr Pang’s uncle told the court that his nephew had become depressed after his mother died in 1993. He said he and one of Mr Pang’s aunts would take care of him and visit him.
However, the uncle said he had not visited Mr Pang since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. He recalled that Mr Pang had been working as a security guard and appeared to be happy with his job.
Investigations revealed that Mr Pang had a history of substance and alcohol abuse, on top of chronic illnesses.
He was first seen at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) in 2005, when relatives took him there. He was admitted for drug-induced psychosis and given anti-psychotic medications.
He was admitted to IMH several times in the following years with grandiose delusions and was diagnosed with psychotic disorder, with his last admission in March 2016.
That same month, he was seen at the National Addictions Management Service for using benzodiazepines, cough mixtures and alcohol.
Mr Pang also had chronic illnesses such as hypertension.
However, due to the extent of decomposition, it was not possible to tell whether these illnesses had developed into diseases that caused his death, such as coronary artery disease or heart disease.
The toxicology report revealed that Mr Pang had taken a number of medications that had not been prescribed to him, noted State Coroner Adam Nakhoda.
“As such, based on the facts and circumstances of this case, it was not possible to reasonably conclude either that Mr Pang’s death was due to natural or unnatural causes,” he said.
He extended his condolences to Mr Pang’s next-of-kin.
This is the second open verdict for a case with a decomposing body recorded in a matter of weeks. On Jul 28, a coroner gave the same verdict for a 46-year-old man who was found dead by a tenant.