M’sian found dead in river

Tragic end: Khoo’s body was found floating in Sungei Api Api nearly three days after she was last seen. — The Straits Times/ANN

THE body of a 22-year-old Malaysian woman was found floating in a river in Pasir Ris nearly three days after she went missing.

Khoo Yee Joo, who hailed from Kedah in Malaysia, went missing after she got off work in Chai Chee on Sunday evening.

At about 7.30pm on Tuesday, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it received a call for assistance at Sungei Api Api.

Upon arriving at the scene, the SCDF officers saw a body floating in the river and retrieved it.

Separately, the police said they received a call for assistance at 7.11pm on Tuesday, adding: “The woman was pronounced dead at the scene by a paramedic.”

The police said they did not suspect foul play. Investigations are ongoing.

Khoo’s aunt, Huang Yanying, told Chinese-language paper Lianhe Zaobao that Khoo was last seen at the bus stop opposite Chai Chee Industrial Park after she left work at around 6pm on Sunday.

Two of Khoo’s colleagues, who were also at the bus stop, saw her walking towards a bus that had arrived but were unsure if she boarded it it as they were boarding another bus.

When Huang, 46, got home from work at 10pm and realised Khoo was still not home, she asked for her neighbours’ help.

She also went to Chai Chee Road, where Khoo worked, to look for her.

At around 2am on Monday, Huang reported Khoo missing at a police station.

Khoo had moved to Singapore after she graduated from university and landed a job as an assistant Chinese teacher at a tuition centre at the end of September, reported Zaobao.

She is said to have lived with Huang, who works in catering, in Toa Payoh.

Khoo had a bachelor’s degree in commerce accounting from Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman in Malaysia, according to her LinkedIn page.

Her mother, housewife Huang Yanjie, 50, told Zaobao that she received the news on Tuesday night and was grieving.

She said she understood that all of Khoo’s personal belongings were missing and that the authorities had confirmed her identity through her fingerprints.

On Wednesday, Khoo’s sister Khoo Zhi Shuang wrote in an Instagram post that the 22-year-old had sent a “distress signal” and “chose to end her pain in her own way”.

She recalled her last phone call with Khoo, in which the latter remarked that maybe one day she would be gone.

Zhi Shuang, 23, who works in logistics, told The Straits Times that her sister had been a kind and warm person since she was young, always “giving her best to others”.

“Fate brought us together and limited our time to 20 years. She will always live on in our memories,” she said.

Khoo’s wake will be held until today, with the cremation at Mandai Crematorium scheduled in the morning. — The Straits Times/ANN