Maid looking after intellectually disabled woman steps out to throw rubbish... and leaves Singapore

The New Paper
April 11, 2024

Ms Ye's daughter is 37 years old and intellectually disabled.

She needs help with basic daily activities such as eating and showering, and wears a diaper. With the mental capacity of a young child, the woman requires constant supervision.

So Ms Ye, a 62-year-old housewife, hired a maid to help her.

Ms Aini, a 37-year-old maid from Indonesia, started working for Ms Ye on Feb 8.

"I asked the maid to clean the flat once a day but she didn't do it. I would patiently remind her to do basic housework," Ms Ye told Shin Min Daily News, adding that she let the matter slide as the maid was new and perhaps needed time to adjust.

"I understood that it was not easy for her to work. I thought if I were nicer to her, she would be nicer to my daughter. But I was wrong."

Despite letting the maid turn in early and taking over the duty of caring for her daughter, Ms Ye learnt that Ms Aini was impatient when dealing with her daughter. 

Ms Aini was caught on closed-circuit television throwing out the food when Ms Ye's daughter refuses to eat.

Ms Ye did not call Ms Aini out in hopes of gaining a more empathetic approach in her dealings with Ms Ye's daughter.

At about 10pm on March 31, Ms Aini stepped out of the flat in Sengkang to throw away a bag of trash. She was seen on CCTV carrying a red plastic bag.

However, that was the last time Ms Ye saw her maid.

Ms Ye felt something amiss when Ms Aini did not return after more than 30 minutes, so she filed a police report.

The police on April 9 told Ms Ye that her maid had left Singapore.

The maid agency Inter Great Employment has contacted Ms Aini's family in Indonesia and the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore but there has been no news on the maid.

Ms Ye, who had booked a tour for herself and her husband after caring full-time for her daughter over the last six years, has cancelled the trip.

"I thought I finally had some breathing space to relax but this happened."