I'll take care of them, says grandma of 3 kids left orphaned after Tampines stabbing incident

The grandmother of three kids left orphaned almost overnight after their parents' deaths has stated that she will be taking up the responsibility of caring for them.

The children's mother, Iris Ting Su Yin, 42, was found covered in blood at the void deck of Block 206 Tampines Street 21 early on Wednesday morning (Feb 10).

Ting, the centre head for the Ministry of Education (MOE) Kindergarten @ Farrer Park, had stab wounds to her body and neck. She was taken unconscious to Changi General Hospital, where she died.

The children's father Ng Chee Kok, 45, was found lying motionless at the foot of Block 205A Punggol Field hours later. He later died in hospital.

A photo allegedly taken just before his body was found showed a man, believed to be Ng, standing topless on a window ledge of the block.

The police believe Ng to be Ting's assailant, The Straits Times reported. 

Bereaved mother

Ting's mother was visibly distraught when reporters from Lianhe Zaobao visited her at her Tampines flat on Thursday.

As preparations were still underway for her daughter's funeral and she had yet to receive the casket, she simply said: "I just want to see my daughter for the last time. She's already gone, there's no point holding on to anything else."

When asked about her three grandchildren, the elderly woman resolutely replied that she will be their main caregiver. She also expressed gratitude for the concern from friends and members of the public, including Minister of Parliament for Tampines GRC Cheng Li Hui, who offered the family her support and assistance.

Neighbours interviewed by Zaobao at the couple's Punggol flat said that the pair had three children, two teenaged daughters — one studying in a polytechnic and the other in secondary school — and a son who is in primary school.

According to reports, the couple were married in June 2000 and moved into their Punggol flat in 2004.

However, neighbours said that for reasons unknown, Ting took the kids and moved out of their matrimonial home last year to live with her mum in Tampines.

A neighbour told the Chinese language paper that Ng was seldom seen after that and they assumed he had also moved out.

Ting reportedly took out a Personal Protection Order (PPO) against Ng on March 6 last year, checks by The Straits Times revealed. But he allegedly breached the PPO about a month later on April 15.

He was charged with two counts of harassment and released on bail of $10,000.

Court documents also showed that Ng had used violence on Ting and harassed and stalked her in Tampines, The Straits Times reported. He was due to be in court next Wednesday.

When reporters visited Ting's workplace on Thursday, her colleagues stated they were aware of the tragic incident. A security guard who declined to be named expressed sadness at her death, describing Ting as a friendly person.

Police investigations into the unnatural deaths are ongoing.

candicecai@asiaone.com