5-year-old boy falls to his death after getting locked in parents' 8th-floor office at Woodlands

A five-year-old boy was found dead at the foot of a building in Woodlands Close on Saturday (Jan 5) after he was accidentally locked in his parents' office on the eighth floor.

A Stomper was passing by the area on the day of the boy's death and snapped pictures of police cars at the scene at about 10pm.

In response to a Stomp query, the police said: "On Jan 5 at about 9.05pm, the police were alerted to a case of fall from height at 11 Woodlands Close.

"A five-year-old boy was found lying motionless at the foot of the said block and was pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene."

Soo Jia He was left alone for about 10 minutes and is believed to have attempted to escape through a window, said his parents.

Shin Min Daily News reported that Soo's mother, Ms Hu said: "Our home is only a five-minute drive from the office. I couldn't believe that when we rushed back to the office, we would see my son's body lying on the ground floor."

She added that she noticed the office window was open when she arrived back to get her son.

A friend of the family told The Straits Times at the boy's wake on Sunday (Jan 6) that Ms Hu believed her son could have fallen from the window in a panic after seeing her and her husband drive away in the car.

According to Shin Min Daily News, the boy's parents had taken him and his brother to the office that day.

The couple run an education centre and they were doing some work although there were no lessons held on Saturday.

While they were working, the boy fell asleep.

The boy's father switched off the lights in the office when it was time to leave, after which they drove home with his older brother.

They realised they had left their son behind when they arrived at the carpark of their home.

On Sunday afternoon, ST visited the accident site where candles and joss sticks had been placed - following a ritual the parents had commissioned for their son earlier that day.

The boy's father, Mr Soo, said that the boy was the youngest of the couple's four children and he was doted on dearly by everyone.

They have a daughter and two other sons, the oldest of whom is 18. The other two are in primary school and secondary school respectively.

Mr Soo told ST at the boy's wake on Sunday night: "It is a tragic accident that nobody could have foresaw." He added that both he and his wife had not slept since the accident the day before.

He said: "We don't know for sure how it happened, but all that does not matter now, the end result is still the same. Just like that, our son is gone. How are we going to be okay again?"

Police are investigating the unnatural death.