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Mother found dead with baby at HDB block likely had undiagnosed postpartum depression: Coroner
Christine Tan
UPDATED FEB 11, 2025, 07:46 PM
SINGAPORE – She had not been diagnosed with any psychiatric conditions, but it was apparent to her family members that she was struggling emotionally after giving birth to her son.
The 33-year-old woman and her three-week-old baby were found dead in December 2023 at the foot of the Housing Board block where they lived.
Calling the case tragic, State Coroner Adam Nakhoda on Feb 11 said the woman likely had undiagnosed postpartum depression.
He ruled the deaths of the woman and her son as suicide and unlawful killing, respectively.
Delivering his verdict, he said the woman had some early indications of suicidal intentions but did not appear to have clear plans or previous attempts. Her suicide came as a shock to her family.
The woman’s husband, family and immediate relatives were supportive and loving, and had tried their best to reassure and affirm her in her decisions, said the coroner.
The woman, her son and the witnesses in the case cannot be named due to a gag order imposed by the court.
Assistant Superintendent (ASP) Ang Yu Shen, the investigating officer who handled the case, told the court on Aug 6, 2024, that the police did not suspect foul play in the deaths.
ASP Ang said at the time of the incident, the woman was living with her husband and their son – their only child – who was born in November 2023. A maid and a confinement nanny were staying with them at the time.
On the morning of Dec 3, 2023, after preparing breakfast, the confinement nanny taught the woman how to change her son’s diaper.
Her husband was asleep then.
A masseuse had gone to the home to give the woman a massage and left, while their maid had left the house to go to church.
The woman told the confinement nanny to buy groceries and milk powder from a nearby supermarket.
State Coroner Nakhoda said the woman then locked the front gate with a digital lock.
When the nanny was on her way back to the flat, she saw police officers below the block but did not think much of it.
Outside the unit, she saw the digital lock and rang the doorbell until the husband woke up.
He was surprised to see the padlock that the couple had never used before. Using a six-digit number on a card that he found in the flat, he opened the padlock.
The nanny told him that she had seen many police cars at the foot of the block, and the man went down to check as he could not find his wife or child at home.
Police officers at the scene told the man that his wife and son had died.
ASP Ang said that after the boy was born, the woman had told her husband that she felt stressed and overwhelmed taking care of the child.
She had been concerned about the baby’s jaundice and had been facing difficulties with expressing breast milk.
She had told her husband that she was having dark thoughts and alluded to suicide.
As the man thought his wife was displaying some degree of self-awareness, he did not think the situation was serious enough to warrant seeking help, said ASP Ang.
The confinement nanny also saw the woman crying many times, and the woman had told the nanny that she was afraid she would not be able to take good care of her son.
About a week before the woman died, she told her mother that she felt incapable of taking care of the boy.
The officer said she had also told her younger sister that she was stressed about taking care of him, and that she wanted to start feeding the baby formula milk.
While her sister told her there was no issue with this, the woman expressed guilt.
State Coroner Nakhoda stressed that help is always available for individuals with suicidal ideation, such as from medical practitioners and organisations like the Samaritans of Singapore.
He also expressed his condolences to the woman’s family for their tragic losses.
