Family of 2-year-old daughter whose remains were found in pot was in contact with community organisations

Adeline Tan
The New Paper
Sep 27, 2019

The family of the child murdered in Chin Swee Road was in contact with various agencies and community organisations over the years, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) said in a statement yesterday.

This was in response to The New Paper's queries on whether MSF had handled cases relating to the family prior to the alleged murder, and why the child's disappearance had not been discovered.

A spokesman said: "The nature of these interactions with the family is relevant to ongoing criminal investigations."

MSF is also reviewing how the network of agencies and community organisations can be further strengthened, the spokesman added.

The remains of the 2½-year-old girl were found in a Chin Swee Road flat on Sept 10.

On Sept 17, the couple were charged in court with the murder of their daughter sometime in March 2014.

The MSF spokesman said that if the police or the Central Narcotics Bureau come across children without alternative caregivers or about whom there are safety concerns during their operations, they will refer these children to MSF.

The couple had been remanded since June last year for unrelated offences.

The child's mother, 30, was sentenced earlier this month to five years and two months in jail on three counts of drug-related offences and one of theft.

The court heard on Tuesday that the child's father, 31, will be remanded for three weeks at the Medical Centre in Changi Prison.

He will return to court via video-link for a further mention on Oct 15.