Found dead on bed

WHERE: Blk 110, Rivervale Walk

PAST: The decomposed body of Malaysian Angel Tan, 28, was found lying face up on her bed in a room in March this year.

She had rented the room from an elderly Singaporean couple who own this five-room flat.

The owners of the flat had discovered the body. The case has been classified as unnatural death, and the police are looking for the woman's boyfriend to assist in investigations, since neighbours had seen her entering or leaving the flat with a well-dressed young man.

PRESENT: The landlord and his wife, said to be in their 60s, had lived in the flat for about nine years.

The couple have not been seen around the place soon after the shocking find, said neighbours, according to a Straits Times report in April. But when The New Paper visited the flat last week, the landlord was inside watching TV.

When approached, the owner waved this reporter away and said 'Don't disturb' repeatedly in Hokkien.

Stigma from stabbing

WHERE: Blk 94, Henderson Road

PAST: Chinese national Guo Hui Long, 28, was stabbed repeatedly in this rented flat earlier this month. Police have charged Luo Faming, 35, with the murder. Luo allegedly set fire to his workplace and attacked his female supervisor as well.

PRESENT: The four-room flat has been left empty since the murder. It is owned by a resident who lives next door. The owner's daughter, who declined to be named, said they haven't decided whether to rent it out, or live in it.

The family bought the unit for over $300,000 about two years ago and have been renting it out until the murder. She said: 'We may move in but we're still apprehensive (because of the murder). Anyone would be. The place has been left empty since the murder and the police investigations.'

She said that there may be a stigma attached to the place because of the murder. It would be difficult to hide the fact from potential tenants, she said. 'Everyone here knows about the murder, It's such a big case. It won't be so easy to rent out.'

Abandoned for eight years

WHERE: Semi-detached house at Waringin Walk, off New Upper Changi Road

PAST: Polytechnic student Pamela Yiau, 19, died of Ecstasy poisoning in this house in February 2000.

She was drinking alcohol with her friend, Mr Daryl Tan, then 23, at his Waringin Walk home when she told him she felt like throwing up. She was foaming at the mouth and gasping. An ambulance was called, but it was too late. After nearly a year of investigations, police couldn't conclude whether foul play was involved but a post-mortem found she died of Ecstasy poisoning.

PRESENT: This house was in a decrepit state when The New Paper visited last Friday, suggesting that the house has not been occupied for a long time.

One neighbour, who only wanted to be known as Mr Teo, said the family moved out after the death and returned to the house to only retrieve their mail or sweep the front porch. He said: 'I'm not sure why they left in such a hurry. Maybe they're 'pantang' (superstitious in Malay).

This article was first published in The New Paper on September 30, 2008.