Girl, 15, killed her grandfather, 84, in Bukit Batok flat before committing suicide
For reasons unknown, a 15-year-old teenage girl killed her grandfather in a Bukit Batok flat, before jumping to her death from a nearby block in June 2022.
On Nov 29, Coroner Christopher Goh said it appeared that besides the teenager, no one else was involved in the death of Mr Teo An Nee, 84.
He was found with at least seven stab wounds on his torso in a flat at Block 363, Bukit Batok Street 31 on June 23, 2022 and died.
After killing her paternal grandfather, Ellis Teo, 15, went to the 25th storey of Block 115 Bukit Batok West Avenue 6 and jumped to her death.
Investigating officer (IO) Sergeant Quek Jun Cai told the court on Nov 29 that following an investigation, the police could not determine what happened between the pair shortly before the tragedy.
This was because Mr Teo and Ellis were the only ones in the flat, as her parents were not home.
There were no witnesses, and there was also no closed-circuit television footage captured inside the unit.
Ellis’ diary was recovered and the IO said that based on her entries, she had felt no ill-intention or hatred towards her grandfather.
Instead, the teenager said she faced difficulties when she tried to teach Mr Teo how to use his phone, as she was not proficient in Chinese.
She had stated she was lonely and had wanted to take her own life. However, investigators did not know why she wanted to do so.
Ellis had written in her diary that she had mental health issues, but there were no official medical reports that she had them.
The court heard that on the day of the tragedy, she did not leave her flat before killing her grandfather.
Camera footage at the block showed he came home at around 2.30pm, and Ellis left the premises shortly after 5pm, with a plaster on her left hand.
She called her mother, saying she would not be coming home anymore, before taking her own life.
Ellis was found lying motionless at the foot of Block 115 and police were alerted at 5.50pm.
At around the same time, her mother returned home and found Mr Teo lying face-up in the master bedroom, covered in blood with a knife beside him.
She called her husband before she picked up the weapon, washed it and put it away. It was not mentioned in court why she had done that.
Her husband alerted the police, and paramedics pronounced the elderly man dead at the scene.
Investigators examined the knife and found only Mr Teo’s DNA on it. Ellis’ DNA could not be found on the weapon and the IO said this could be because her mother had washed it earlier.
Ellis’ shirt that was stained with Mr Teo’s blood was found in a pail in the flat.
There was also no indication that anyone had broken into the family flat, said Sgt Quek.
Family members were not in court on Nov 29 during the inquiry.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
