First hope, then heartbreak. That was what the parents
of Matthew Chye Qi Yang, 19, had to endure when police first told them
the body found drowned in the lake was not their son, but later
confirmed that it was.
According to news reports, the couple had
rushed to Woodlands Town Garden on Saturday when they heard someone had
drowned in the lake there.
However, police had told them the body was that of an old man.
Two
days later, the Chyes found themselves face-to-face with the police
again. This time, it was bad news -- their son had indeed drowned in the
lake.
Since Friday, they had been searching for their son.
Matthew, who had been diagnosed with autism when he was three years old,
had slipped out of the Woodlands flat at 10.30am.
STOMPer OhNo was shocked when he read the news in the papers today. There could have
been a better way to deal with the situation at that time, he says.
Wrote the STOMPer in his email contribution (Jan 4):
"This is the first time I have read in the papers about police making such a mistake.
"Not
to say it is a grave mistake, because we are all human anyway, but
police failed to effectively manage the expectations of those involved.
"As a result, the officer could have caused the couple even more grief than they were already experiencing.
"I
don't know what the police standard operating procedures are, but if he
could not allow the parents to view the body, the least he could have
done was to tell the couple that investigations were still ongoing.
"As quoted in the newspapers, the police spokesperson said the slip-up happened for a few reasons.
"The
body did not fit the description or the photograph provided. Plus, it
seems the couple was unable to conclusively identify the clothing found
on the body as belonging to their son.
"Their son was finally identified through his fingerprints.
"Not
only does it give our home team bad flak, but it's really a
roller-coaster ride of emotion that no one would ever want to go
through.
"I hope such a thing will never happen again."
Source:
http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/stomp/sgseen/what_bugs_me/527322/dead_body_in_woodlands_lake_mixup_police_could_have_handled.html
lmao......... you are forgetting about the time they lost Mas SelaMAT
they let a Mat escape dunno who else they let slip liao
Its an honest mistake.
I think this is the biggest screw up of all time.... cant they tell the difference between an old man and a school boy?
Not when its a bloated corpse. Ever seen a real one before? You can't make shit out of it.
Originally posted by ditzy:Not when its a bloated corpse. Ever seen a real one before? You can't make shit out of it.
oh realli? didnt know tat.