Identity of dead man known by many names to many people remains a mystery

He was known as “Sunny Tang”, “Sheng Chun Hua” and “Ah Hua”, but the true identity of a man who died on Aug 1, 2022, still remains a mystery.

Investigations into his identity threw up accusations of physical abuse by his former girlfriend’s son as well as a woman who had offered him a place to stay.

Yet none of them knew who he was.

Question marks surrounding his identity arose about two weeks before his death, when he fell and ended up in hospital.

“Despite exhaustive efforts by the police, the deceased’s identity remains a mystery, and it is unlikely that his identity will be established without further evidence,” said State Coroner Adam Nakhoda on Oct 23.

One of those who knew the man was a woman whom court documents refer to as Madam LMC. She lived in a first-floor unit at a Housing Board block in Toa Payoh.

She became acquainted with him at a nearby coffee shop in 2022, and he told her his name was Sunny. After he told her he had no place to go to, she allowed him to stay with her on one or two occasions.

She claimed that he was pleasant and did not have any financial issues. She understood that he worked “on and off”.

Madam LMC said she was sitting outside her unit with him at about 5pm on July 13, 2022, when he told her that he wanted to go and eat. At this point, she saw a bruise on his face and asked him what happened.

He replied that he had fallen due to his weak legs when he was getting his bicycle from the nearby bay. She offered to buy him food, but after he insisted on going himself, she supported him as he walked to the coffee shop. After a few steps, he fell again.

As she was unable to lift him, Madam LMC called out to her neighbour, named as Mr Syami in court documents, who was nearby to assist her.

Mr Syami saw the left side of the man’s face was swollen, and that he had a bruise. He offered to call an ambulance, but the man declined the offer. 

After they returned to Madam LMC’s home, Mr Syami, who is trained in first-aid, assessed that the man may have suffered a head injury and called for an ambulance.

The man told a Singapore Civil Defence Force paramedic that he fell multiple times – including once two days ago.

Despite his reluctance, he was taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), and he was found to have suffered several injuries including multiple rib fractures and blood on the surface of the brain.

He was registered at the hospital based on the details of an NRIC that he had passed to Mr Syami earlier. The owner of the NRIC was mentioned in court documents as Mr TKP.

The hospital sent a letter to a friend of Mr TKP stating that his friend was in hospital and in a critical condition.

The friend called the real Mr TKP who then informed TTSH that he was not in hospital.

The nurse then compared the man’s face with the one on the NRIC and realised that they were different and alerted the police. 

An officer activated to investigate the man’s identity seized multiple items from the man when he was in hospital including a name card with the name “Sunny Tang” and a POSB Debit Card.

On July 17, 2022, the officer met Mr TKP and his sister Madam TCH at a police station.

She explained that she had met the man,she knew as Ah Hua, 30 years ago and started a relationship which lasted about 10 years.

During the relationship he said he was “Sheng Chun Hua”, his parents had died and that he did odd jobs in the construction industry.

According to Madam TCH, he would often borrow money from her, claiming that he had not been paid his salary.

Initially, she gave him money, but over time his requests became more frequent. He then began to ask her son to lend him money. The son told the police that when the man would beat him when he was drunk.

Madam TCH ended her relationship with the man and last saw him in 2020.

Police conducted a screening of the name “Sheng Chan Hua” but could not find any leads. 

State Coroner Nakhoda said the name appeared to be a made up one.

The police screened the debit card they had seized and interviewed the owner who said he had lost the card many years ago. He said did not know the deceased man and that he had no idea why he would have his card.

Most numbers on the dead man’s recent call log were either not in use or went unanswered when police called.

One person who did answer said he knew the man from 10 to 20 years before as “Sunny Tang” from a pub at Yio Chu Kang.

Said the coroner: “The deceased had adopted the name ‘Sunny Tang’, based on the name card found in his possession bearing that name, but, in all likelihood, this was an identity that he had created after he kept Mr TKP’s NRIC. This was clearly not his name or identity.”

After the man’s death, the police released a statement with his photograph seeking information on his identity. However, there were no responses.

His fingerprints were not found on national databases in Singapore, Malaysia, or Indonesia.