http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,180849,00.html?
He lived alone, he ate alone, he died alone
Neighbour alerts police after elderly man fails to collect food from welfare
By Arul John
October 23, 2008
A LONELY END: Police and undertakers removing Mr Wan Hussein's body from his Marine Terrace flat. TNP PICTURE: MOHD ISHAK
THE packet of food had hung outside his neighbour's door for a day.
Then yesterday morning, Mr Jason Phuah, 53, saw a woman bringing his neighbour another packet of food.
When she knocked and got no reply, she removed the previous day's packet and hung a new one outside the door.
That was when Mr Phuah realised that something was wrong. He called the police, who broke into his neighbour's flat and found the body of a man.
Mr Phuah, a bachelor, lives four doors away from the dead man on the 13th storey at Block 53 Marine Terrace.
He knew the man as Mr Wan Hussein, 61, a security guard who is divorced.
Said Mr Phuah, who said he did freelance work: 'He received food packets from a welfare organisation daily. A woman from that organisation hung a food packet on his door and then took away another food packet hanging there earlier.
'When I asked her about that, she said she took the packet away as he had not eaten the food. That got me worried. I went and knocked on his door but got no reply.'
Mr Phuah said he was sure that Mr Wan Hussein had not gone out as his gate was not padlocked.
He said: 'Mr Wan Hussein loved to play Malay music loudly in his room. When I did not hear his voice or any music, I got concerned and called the police.'
Mr Wan Hussein was described as having a pot belly, about 1.8m tall and had curly black hair.
A police spokesman said that when the police arrived, they detected a foul smell coming from the unit.
They broke in and found a man lying on the floor.
He was pronounced dead at 1.10pm. Police have classified the case as unnatural death.
Mr Phuah said Mr Wan Hussein was a quiet man who usually kept to himself and did not bother anyone.
Mr Wan Hussein had lived in the two-room rental flat for at least 10 years.
The two men would go shopping together and meet at the nearby coffeeshop for drinks.
He said: 'He said he used to be a fireman before he became a security guard. He said he had a family, but I hardly saw any visitors to his home.
'He used to have visitors during Hari Raya Aidilfitri previously, but he had no visitors this time.'
Mr Phuah said Mr Wan Hussein's elder brother had visited him several years ago, but he had not seen him since.
No friends
He said Mr Wan Hussein suffered from heart problems, kidney ailments and diabetes, and Mr Phuah often took his neighbour to Tan Tock Seng Hospital for treatment and follow-up.
He said: 'Although I live alone, I am not afraid of dying alone as I am close to several of my neighbours and have many friends. So it is unlikely that I would die at home without anyone knowing about it.
'The trouble with Mr Wan Hussein was that he had few or no friends and was not close to his neighbours.'
Housewife Madam Normalah Salleh, 39, said she last saw Mr Wan Hussein alive on Sunday when he was walking back to his unit.
Mr Wan Hussein's next-door neighbour, who wanted to be known only as Madam Teo, said: 'That day, he was with two men who took him to his unit and then left a while later.'
She said Mr Wan Hussein worked from 6pm until the next morning as a security guard and was always well-groomed.
Madam Teo said: 'He left for work at about 4pm and wore a T-shirt to and from work. He carried a haversack, which I think had his uniform. And he always wore cologne.
'He loved to play Malay music loudly and his home had a large TV set and home theatre system.'
Housewife Madam Haszarina Abdul Hadi, 28, said Mr Wan Hussein treated her like his own daughter and her five children as his grandchildren.
She said in Malay: 'When I had a crisis with my husband some time ago, he encouraged me and often came over to look after my children. Another neighbour and I often took food to him.
'His death is so sad. He had nobody.'
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Cases of people found dead alone
Nephew finds body
On 11 Jan, the body of a 76-year-old cleaner, who lived alone in her Jalan Bukit Ho Swee flat, was discovered two days after she died in her bed, when her nephew went to the flat to check on her after she did not turn up for work for two days.
Father and daughter, dead
On 4 Jan, the badly decomposed bodies of Wong Tong Seng, 82, and his daughter, Wong Ju Ling, 50, were found in an executive flat at Lorong Ah Soo.
Mr Wong's wife, Madam Ngai Hong Chee, 80, was found dazed but alive in the flat with the bodies.
Both Wongs were later found to have died of natural causes.
No answer at door
On 26 Dec last year, Mr Lim Hon Mee, 79, was found dead at his one-room rental flat at Indus Road.
His body was found when the woman who delivered his meals every day could not get him to answer the door.
Skeletal remains
In July 2006, the skeletal remains of an old woman were found in the toilet of a dilapidated house off UpperThomson Road.
Her identity has still not been established.
Two dead, alone
In November 2005, the decomposed bodies of two elderly men were found in their homes, one in Jurong East and the other in a hut in Woodlands.
He lived alone, he ate alone, he died alone
Neighbour alerts police after elderly man fails to collect food from welfare
By Arul John
October 23, 2008
A LONELY END: Police and undertakers removing Mr Wan Hussein's body from his Marine Terrace flat. TNP PICTURE: MOHD ISHAK
THE packet of food had hung outside his neighbour's door for a day.
Then yesterday morning, Mr Jason Phuah, 53, saw a woman bringing his neighbour another packet of food.
When she knocked and got no reply, she removed the previous day's packet and hung a new one outside the door.
That was when Mr Phuah realised that something was wrong. He called the police, who broke into his neighbour's flat and found the body of a man.
Mr Phuah, a bachelor, lives four doors away from the dead man on the 13th storey at Block 53 Marine Terrace.
He knew the man as Mr Wan Hussein, 61, a security guard who is divorced.
Said Mr Phuah, who said he did freelance work: 'He received food packets from a welfare organisation daily. A woman from that organisation hung a food packet on his door and then took away another food packet hanging there earlier.
'When I asked her about that, she said she took the packet away as he had not eaten the food. That got me worried. I went and knocked on his door but got no reply.'
Mr Phuah said he was sure that Mr Wan Hussein had not gone out as his gate was not padlocked.
He said: 'Mr Wan Hussein loved to play Malay music loudly in his room. When I did not hear his voice or any music, I got concerned and called the police.'
Mr Wan Hussein was described as having a pot belly, about 1.8m tall and had curly black hair.
A police spokesman said that when the police arrived, they detected a foul smell coming from the unit.
They broke in and found a man lying on the floor.
He was pronounced dead at 1.10pm. Police have classified the case as unnatural death.
Mr Phuah said Mr Wan Hussein was a quiet man who usually kept to himself and did not bother anyone.
Mr Wan Hussein had lived in the two-room rental flat for at least 10 years.
The two men would go shopping together and meet at the nearby coffeeshop for drinks.
He said: 'He said he used to be a fireman before he became a security guard. He said he had a family, but I hardly saw any visitors to his home.
'He used to have visitors during Hari Raya Aidilfitri previously, but he had no visitors this time.'
Mr Phuah said Mr Wan Hussein's elder brother had visited him several years ago, but he had not seen him since.
No friends
He said Mr Wan Hussein suffered from heart problems, kidney ailments and diabetes, and Mr Phuah often took his neighbour to Tan Tock Seng Hospital for treatment and follow-up.
He said: 'Although I live alone, I am not afraid of dying alone as I am close to several of my neighbours and have many friends. So it is unlikely that I would die at home without anyone knowing about it.
'The trouble with Mr Wan Hussein was that he had few or no friends and was not close to his neighbours.'
Housewife Madam Normalah Salleh, 39, said she last saw Mr Wan Hussein alive on Sunday when he was walking back to his unit.
Mr Wan Hussein's next-door neighbour, who wanted to be known only as Madam Teo, said: 'That day, he was with two men who took him to his unit and then left a while later.'
She said Mr Wan Hussein worked from 6pm until the next morning as a security guard and was always well-groomed.
Madam Teo said: 'He left for work at about 4pm and wore a T-shirt to and from work. He carried a haversack, which I think had his uniform. And he always wore cologne.
'He loved to play Malay music loudly and his home had a large TV set and home theatre system.'
Housewife Madam Haszarina Abdul Hadi, 28, said Mr Wan Hussein treated her like his own daughter and her five children as his grandchildren.
She said in Malay: 'When I had a crisis with my husband some time ago, he encouraged me and often came over to look after my children. Another neighbour and I often took food to him.
'His death is so sad. He had nobody.'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cases of people found dead alone
Nephew finds body
On 11 Jan, the body of a 76-year-old cleaner, who lived alone in her Jalan Bukit Ho Swee flat, was discovered two days after she died in her bed, when her nephew went to the flat to check on her after she did not turn up for work for two days.
Father and daughter, dead
On 4 Jan, the badly decomposed bodies of Wong Tong Seng, 82, and his daughter, Wong Ju Ling, 50, were found in an executive flat at Lorong Ah Soo.
Mr Wong's wife, Madam Ngai Hong Chee, 80, was found dazed but alive in the flat with the bodies.
Both Wongs were later found to have died of natural causes.
No answer at door
On 26 Dec last year, Mr Lim Hon Mee, 79, was found dead at his one-room rental flat at Indus Road.
His body was found when the woman who delivered his meals every day could not get him to answer the door.
Skeletal remains
In July 2006, the skeletal remains of an old woman were found in the toilet of a dilapidated house off UpperThomson Road.
Her identity has still not been established.
Two dead, alone
In November 2005, the decomposed bodies of two elderly men were found in their homes, one in Jurong East and the other in a hut in Woodlands.
