Mother and son found dead on Bukit Batok Hill; police investigating unnatural deaths

Two bodies were found yesterday in a secluded spot on the hilltop in Bukit Batok.

The pair, believed to be a mother and son, were pronounced dead by paramedics on scene.

The New Paper understands that they were Japanese.

According to the police, the body of the five-year-old boy was found in a car, while the body of the 41-year-old woman was found nearby.

The car, which appeared to be a black Honda Vezel, was found in Lorong Sesuai.

From images taken by Shin Min Daily News, the front driver's side window appeared to be broken.

The police said they were alerted to the two cases of unnatural death at the site at about 6.40am. Investigations are ongoing.

The site, near the Bukit Batok Nature Park, is about a 10-minute walk uphill from the Old Bukit Timah Fire Station in Upper Bukit Timah Road.

The car was found next to a television transmission centre on the Bukit Batok hilltop, which occupies the site where a Japanese memorial shrine, Syonan Chureito, and a British Memorial Cross once stood.

[[nid:468058]]

A man who was exercising in the area in the morning told Shin Min that a security guard found the car at about 6am, and called the police after he discovered that there was a body in it.

The man, who declined to be identified, said: "From what I've heard, the security guard didn't really know what was going on."

A security guard who was standing outside the transmission tower's fenced-off premises told TNP that when he arrived at work around 8am, the area was crawling with police cars and personnel.

Maintenance workers in the area also told TNP that the police cars left only around 1.30pm, more than six hours after they arrived.

When TNP arrived at the site at about 3pm, there was no trace of police cordons or tape.

The area that appeared to have been the spot where the car was found still showed tyre tracks and a significant amount of broken glass.

A 63-year-old jogger, who declined to be named, told TNP that the area was generally very quiet on weekdays.

He added that he had been going there to exercise for several years, as frequently as four times a week, and found the area to be peaceful.

He said: "There is only one way up by car, and usually no one drives up unless they are intending to exercise or use the park."

Joggers told TNP the police regularly patrol the area.

This is not the first time that bodies have been found in and near the Bukit Batok Nature Park.

In 2008, a decomposed female corpse was found at the park.

In 2000, a 27-year-old woman who was jogging alone was raped and clubbed on the head there. She later died of her injuries.

- ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY DAVID SUN

This article was first published in The New Paper. Permission required for reproduction.