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
