34YO Food Delivery Rider Died in a Car for a Week Without Anyone Noticing

At 7am on 7 August 2023, the decomposing body of a 34-year-old delivery rider was discovered near the car park of Upper Changi Road condominium Apollo Gardens.

The authorities have since reported that an unnatural death involving the deceased male driver had occurred. However, no foul play has been suspected so far.

Apollo Gardens resident Mr Zhang (Hanyu Pinyin) called Shin Min Daily News to report the incident. He recounted that he had heard his neighbour talked about police officers gathering outside the condominium at around 9 in the morning.

Upon going outside to check, he saw officers investigating a white car.

Image: Shin Min Daily News 

As the officers removed possible evidence, such as spectacles and a wallet, from the car, Mr Zhang noted a strong putrid odour emerging from the vehicle.

Numerous Residents Report of Foul Odour Before Body Was Discovered

Another resident, Mr Zhu (Hanyu Pinyin), described that he saw a man sitting in the passenger’s seat when he passed by the white car. He also noted a smell “like rotten flesh” coming out from inside the car.

A 32-year-old maid had also noticed a certain foul stench “that smelled like dead rats” after stepping out of the apartment. However, she was unable to discern the source of the smell.

Alongside the odour, a brown mixture of bodily liquids was also seen leaking out of the driver’s white car. The liquid could have been the source of the foul smell discovered by residents.

Image: Shin Min Daily News

The Space Where the Deceased Was Found Was A Popular Parking Spot for Residents and Members of the Public

Mr Zhu revealed that free parking is available on the section of the road where the body was found, so residents generally do not pay attention to nearby vehicles.

An unnamed resident also said that the place is close to the Expo Centre, where employees often park their cars, so the deceased may not have been a resident of Apollo Gardens.

​​According to the reporters, many residents usually enter or leave the condominium from within their cars. This may have been why the dead body had been undetected for so long.

The Deceased Reportedly Had No History of Illnesses Before Passing Away

According to family members, the deceased was a food delivery worker. The deceased’s family have since gone to the mortuary on 8 August to claim his remains.

The older sister of the deceased said in an interview that the whole family was shocked by his brother’s sudden death.

“My younger brother lives with his parents, but sometimes he lives at a friend’s house. I haven’t contacted him for a week, but we didn’t think too much about it. We didn’t expect this to happen.”

She also said the family has no prior history of any illness, so the cause of death of the deceased was not certain.

“We don’t know why he was there, and we won’t know the cause of his death until the police investigation report comes out,” she said.