A Singaporean couple has been arrested for the death of an infant found in a Taiwan rubbish heap in 2019. The man and woman were both 25, and had traveled to Taiwan, where the woman allegedly gave birth in a hotel, followed by the man reportedly dumping their live newborn daughter in a rubbish bin.
Taiwanese authorities had requested help from Singaporean law enforcement after they had built a case. The two cannot be charged unless they return to Taiwan.
After a thorough investigation that involved reviewing hundreds of hours of CCTV footage and flight records, Taiwanese investigators were able to contact Singaporean authorities to ask for help/
A report from Asia One said that, “The police said on Tuesday evening (May 11) that the pair were taken into custody on April 28 following a request for assistance from the Taiwanese authorities.”
What happened to the Singaporean couple in Taiwan two years ago?
Alvinology previously reported on the gruesome events that transpired in a Taiwanese hotel room, saying “Xindian police in Taipei have identified a Singaporean couple who may be studying at the Singapore Institute of Technology Education, since authorities have identified their social media accounts. Reports said that the couple arrived on the 19th of February and that the woman had given birth on the 25th.”
Previous reports said that the couple stayed in a hotel in Ximending for a few days then the woman who was visibly pregnant in security footage gave birth in the hotel room. Later, the man was seen throwing a black rubbish bag into a restaurant dumpster. The couple then left the same day.
The black rubbish bag was then transferred along with the other refuse it was found in to a recycling facility in Xindian, which was 10 kilometers away. A recycling plant employee found the body, with the umbilical cord and placenta still intact.
What case could the couple be facing?
Taiwanese prosecutors felt that they had enough objective evidence to link the Singaporean couple (who are now engaged and believed to have a child or are expecting) to the crime. When they were contacted two years ago following the initial investigation of the crime, they both denied any involvement in the matter.
The woman particularly said that she would not have been able to board a plane if she was pregnant and that close to term.
Witnesses, on the other hand, said that they had seen the couple at a convenience store near the hotel, with the woman heavily pregnant at the time. The man had also confirmed to the media at the time of the interview that he was in Taiwan with his girlfriend.
But as the investigations continued, both sets of parents of the man and woman said that the two were not home and had not even returned from their trip.
Pieces of placenta from the hotel room drain where the couple stayed matched the DNA from the newborn’s body. The baby was also believed to still be alive when she was dumped.
A previous report from Alvinology said that some offences can be leveled against the couple in Singapore and that they may be compelled to provide blood and DNA samples to help in the investigation.
