Daughter spent 5 days with decomposing mother in Yishun flat, unaware she had died

The decomposing body of a 60-year-old woman was discovered at Block 704, Yishun Avenue 5 on 7 May 2020, after neighbours reported a pungent smell and alerted police at 1:50pm. The woman had been dead for approximately five days, during which her daughter — believed to be intellectually disabled — remained in the flat with the body, reportedly unaware her mother had passed and too frightened to leave or call for help. Police pronounced the woman dead at the scene and classified the case as unnatural death, with investigations ongoing. Neighbours described the mother-daughter pair as long-term residents of over 30 years, with the deceased having worked as a dish collector at a nearby coffee shop despite the family's difficult circumstances. The case drew quiet grief from the Yishun community, with neighbours noting neither woman appeared to be in good mental health.