Woman dropped her baby from block of flats before pair found dead: State Coroner

SINGAPORE: A woman who was worried about her one-year-old daughter’s development, dropped her from a high floor of their block of flats on Nov 5, 2023.

The mother then jumped down from the same spot before landing on the ground floor near the baby.

Delivering his findings on Sept 24 on the double tragedy, State Coroner Adam Nakhoda said that the pair suffered multiple injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene.

He also found that the child had died due to an unlawful killing while her mother died by suicide.

As the woman had a surviving son, State Coroner Nakhoda had earlier imposed a gag order on the identities of the mother and daughter, their family members and their address.

He said that the reasons why the woman had committed the acts could not be fully understood and her loved ones told the authorities that she had displayed no suicide ideation.

He then urged those who have such thoughts to seek help through channels such as the SOS Hotline.

In earlier proceedings in July 2024, police investigation officer (IO) Clarice Koh told the court that the woman lived in a Housing Board flat with her husband and their two children.

Before the tragedy took place, the husband had found that the woman appeared moody and listless at home, often lying in bed with their daughter.

At about 10am on Nov 5, 2023, a Sunday, he noticed that she was not preparing to leave for church.

She said she would stay home as their daughter was unwell. Her husband then left with their son, as the boy insisted on going to church.

On the way there, the husband texted his wife, but she did not reply. He did not find this unusual, as she usually would not reply while caring for their daughter.

Meanwhile, the woman and the baby took a lift to a high floor, where she committed the acts.

At about 12.35pm, a resident who was hanging clothes outside her balcony saw something fall, one after another, and heard thuds.

She saw the mother and daughter on the ground floor and alerted the police.

The husband returned home at about 1.30pm and saw a police cordon at the foot of their block.

Realising that his wife and daughter were not home, he asked police officers at the ground floor if there were two bodies. The officers showed him photos, and he confirmed their identities.

IO Koh said the husband had earlier noticed his wife had temper outbursts after giving birth to their son in 2019. The outbursts subsided after two years.

After their daughter was born, his wife was worried as the infant was found to be underdeveloped and underweight at one-year-old during a check-up.

The woman’s parents also noticed she was more irritable and kept to herself, with her father realising that she took fewer photos of the children.

IO Koh said that in both the hospital check-ups after giving birth to the children, the woman did not show signs of mental issues and was deemed not at risk of post-natal depression. – The Straits Times/ANN

*** Those contemplating suicide can reach out to the Mental Health Psychosocial Support Service (03-2935 9935/ 014-322 3392); Talian Kasih (15999/ 019-261 5999 on WhatsApp); Jakim’s family, social and community care centre (011-1959 8214 on WhatsApp); or Befrienders Kuala Lumpur (03-7627 2929/ email [email protected]/ befrienders centres in malaysia).