New crime docudrama adds insights to old cases including Geylang Bahru Tan Children Murders

As crime-solving technologies get more advanced, would it help shed some light on old criminal cases? 

A new Mediacorp docudrama Inside Crime Scene that was released on Friday (March 11) aims to provide new perspectives on six heinous crimes that shook Singapore, including the unsolved Geylang Bahru Tan Children Murders, and the cases of Sunny Ang and Leslie Khoo, who both killed their lovers. 

Through interviews with former police investigators, forensic specialists, crime journalists, criminal psychologists and legal practitioners, each case is revisited in intimate detail, helping audiences understand how the perpetrators are brought to justice. 

But not all the featured cases were solved. 

The second episode of the series takes a look at the unsolved 1979 Geylang Bahru Tan Children Murders, where four children, aged between five and 10, were brutally slashed in their home. 

Ho Yuen, a former journalist who covered the case back then, shared in the episode that his heart still feels heavy when he talks about the incident. 

"I remember waiting about two hours before a police spokesperson told us [about what happened]. We requested to head into the crime scene, but the police said that the four children had died in such a gruesome manner that no one should have to see it." 

The bodies of the four children were found in the toilet, piled on top of one another.

Former Assistant Superintendent of Police, Simon Suppiah, was one of the few people who saw the crime scene and in the episode, he spoke of what he saw. 

Aside from talking about the leads that were investigated back then, the episode also reveals how volunteers from Crime Library Singapore are keeping the case alive by interviewing Geylang Bahru residents for possible new leads. 

Finally, the episode also poses the question of how modern forensic science and criminal psychology — if available then — could lead investigators to the murderer. 

Using the example of the strands of hair that were found in the hands of the oldest child, Associate Professor Stella Tan, Academic Director of the Forensic Science Programme at the National University of Singapore, explained how DNA can be extracted from a person's hair. 

"If we can use today's technology to assess the crime scene, reconstruct it and confirm the identity of the culprit, we can find out what happened with greater certainty." 

@asiaone Geylang Bahru Tan Children Murders - That letter from the murderer... #fyp #singapore #mystery ♬ Spooky piano horror scary - Sound Production Gin

Inside Crime Scene is now available on MeWATCH, and will be aired on Channel 8 every Wednesday at 8pm from March 16. 

Warning: The docudrama contains some graphic scenes, viewer discretion is advised. 

claudiatan@asiaone.com