SINGAPORE - A couple, accused of killing their young daughter whose remains were found in a flat at Block 52 Chin Swee Road last Tuesday (Sept 10), are said to have committed the murder in 2014.

The couple were taken to court on Tuesday (Sept 17) and charged with the murder of the two-year-old in the unit in March that year. They cannot be named due to a gag order.

The Straits Times understands that the child's remains were found inside a metal pot last week.

In a statement on Monday, police said that they received a call for assistance at 8.30pm on Sept 10.

When officers arrived, they found the toddler's remains inside the one-room rental flat on the eighth storey of the block.

Police added that the couple have been remanded since June last year over other unrelated offences.

The man had earlier been charged with two drug-related offences and one count of rioting. These cases are still pending.



Police officers found the toddler's remains inside a one-room rental flat on the eighth storey of the block. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG



Before the woman was charged with murder, she was sentenced on Sept 9 to five years and two months' jail after she pleaded guilty to three drug-related charges and one count of theft.

The couple are believed to be married with at least three children, and are the registered occupants of the flat where the remains were found.

No one answered the door when ST visited the flat last Thursday. A chain with a padlock secured the gate.



A chain with a padlock secured the gate of the Chin Swee Road flat on Sept 17, 2019. ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG



Neighbours said a strong smell - with one describing it as "something rotting" - wafted through the corridor at least a week before the body was found in the unit.

Police officers were seen leaving the flat with a metal pot and a bag, according to Chinese-language newspaper Lianhe Wanbao.

Residents in the block said that a man in his 20s had been living in the flat on his own for the past three or four months, and a couple with children had lived there before him.

It is understood that a man was in the flat when the police showed up last Tuesday, but it is not known how he is related to the couple.

Offenders convicted of murder face the death penalty. They can also be jailed for life and caned.

The couple's cases have been adjourned to Sept 24.