In 1995, a 7-year-old girl was found dead in a drain in Singapore. More than 25 years later, her family is relieved to know that the police are still investigating the case.
On 10th January, Lim Shiow Rong’s family came forward to ask the police to revisit the case. They also requested members of the public to step forward if they had relevant information.
Lim Shiow Rong was last seen by her mother, Madam Ang, at her parents’ coffee shop on 24th June 1995 about 9:30pm. She told Madam Ang that she was going out to meet “her father’s friend” but did not return that night. At the time, her father, Mr. Lim was in jail for drug related offences.
Her body was found the next day with bruises around her neck and bloodstains on her underwear. Police suspected she had been raped and murdered. Although extensive investigations were carried out between 1995 and 2000, the perpetrator(s) were never caught.
In 2014, Mr. Lim reported two men to the police. These men had approached their youngest daughter, Lim Jia Hui on separate occasions in 2000 and 2001 and asked her to follow them, claiming to be Mr. Lim’s friends. Although he swore to find his daughter’s murderer, he passed away in 2016 from a ruptured artery in the abdomen.
After the public appeal, the Crime Library Singapore, a non-profit organisation, received two tip-offs regarding the case. A regular patron who allegedly knew the victim came forward and another offered more information about the suspect based on a sketch provided by the police.
The family met with the Criminal Investigation Department on 18th January. Ms. Lim Jia Hui saw pictures of the crime scene for the first time and requested her mother not to see them as it was very distressing. “The way my sister died was really horrible. You can imagine how bad it was for someone to beat up a seven-year-old so badly, what pain she must have gone through,” she said.
While seeing the scene was shocking, Ms. Lim was surprised by the fact that she had seen the same scene in her dreams. Madam Ang revealed that her daughter had dreamt of Shiow Rong leading her to the drain when she was 10.
The dream happened twice, showing Ms. Lim the drain and the mountain road. Shiow Rong would disappear into the woods after showing her sister the scene. Madam Ang suspected her eldest daughter did not want to cause distress to her parents, so she only showed these dreams to her younger sister.
The family also thinks Shiow Rong predicted her own death. Before she died, she drew a mural on her bedroom wall which had similarities to the crime scene. 24th June 1994 was written in English beside the mural, which coincidently was the date she died, but not the year.
Additionally, Shiow Rong behaved abnormally before the incident, such as changes in her eating behaviour. Madam Ang said that while Shiow Rong was normally well-behaved, she disregarded her mother’s words that night and insisted on going out.
We sincerely hope the family’s call for closure will be answered soon.
Sources: China Press, Today, The Straits Times
