'She was kind, we miss her': Undertaker Roland Tay helps China couple cremate daughter found dead in MBS

The parents of a 34-year-old woman who was found dead in a room at Marina Bay Sands on Dec 20 flew in from China seeking help for her funeral after the Chinese embassy here informed them of the tragedy.

The deceased, Zhang Qiujie (transliteration), had been estranged from her parents for two years, and due to financial constraints, they sought the assistance of Singaporean undertaker Roland Tay. 

The parents have since returned to China after Zhang's cremation on Jan 1, leaving her ashes behind.

"Her ashes are still with me as they were unable to take them home. I am still looking for a proper place to lay them to rest," Tay told AsiaOne on Tuesday (Jan 6).

"I will do my best to give her a good resting spot so that one day her parents and siblings can come back to visit her."

Tay said the couple first approached him on Dec 29, seeking help with the funeral preparations.

"They are farmers in Jiangsu, China, and not very well-off. They heard from some Singaporeans about me," said Tay, 79.

He said they remembered their daughter as someone who always helped others in need. 

"They told me about the charitable work she had done, including donating money for the victims of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. That is when I decided to help them for free," he said. 

He added that the couple, who are in their mid-60s, have two other children who were unable to come to Singapore because they could not afford it.

"Zhang lost contact with her parents about two years ago and had been in and out of Singapore and Malaysia in the past few months, based on her passport records," Tay said. 

"Her parents told me on the day we met, 'She was a very kind girl, and we miss her very much'."

Tay, the founder of Direct Funeral Services, is known for arranging free funerals for murder victims, the poor and the destitute.

Details surrounding death unclear

Tay added that Zhang's parents were devastated and that details surrounding the death are still unclear.

"They don't have much information about the circumstances of their daughter's death. Even if they wanted to check her phone for contacts, they couldn't, as it was locked," he said.

In response to queries from AsiaOne, the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) confirmed that a call for assistance was made at about 3pm at 1 Bayfront Avenue on Dec 20. 

A 34-year-old woman was found motionless at the above mentioned location and was pronounced dead at scene by an SCDF paramedic.

Based on preliminary investigations, the police do not suspect foul play. Investigations are ongoing.

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xingying.koh@asiaone.com