Kwai Chung revealed another tragedy today (6th) involving an elderly person living alone who died and turned to bones. Around 10 a.m., Housing Authority staff, together with the police, went to Shing Yat Building in Kwai Shing East Estate to reclaim a unit. However, upon entering, they found a skeleton lying on the bed.

After investigation, the police confirmed that the deceased was a 77-year-old Ms. Yuen, the unit's resident. The case has been classified as a 'body discovery,' and an autopsy will be arranged to determine the cause of death.

According to reports, Ms. Yuen had suffered from depression for over 20 years. The Housing Authority replied to queries from HK01, expressing deep sadness. According to records, only the unit's owner was listed in the household register. Regarding this case, the owner did not submit the 2024 October living situation report on time. The Housing Authority made multiple attempts to contact the owner without success. Until June of this year, the Housing Authority issued a relocation notice to the owner and terminated the lease on July 31. Personnel discovered the body today when reclaiming the unit.

The Housing Authority replied to the inquiry, expressing deep sadness over the incident discovered today. According to records, only the unit's owner was listed in the household register, and there were no records of unpaid rent. Currently, public housing tenants are required to report their living situation every two years after moving in. In this case, the owner did not submit the living situation report issued in October 2024 on time. Housing Authority staff had made multiple attempts to contact the owner through various means, including phone calls, home visits at different times, issuing notices, and contacting the Social Welfare Department. The Housing Authority also contacted the owner's relatives for assistance, but the unfortunate event was never discovered early enough.

It is understood that the doors and windows of the involved unit were closed, and the neighbors did not smell any strange odors. The Housing Authority also stated that staff had never detected any strange odors during previous visits to the unit. They had also not received any complaints about strange odors or other issues related to the unit. Since the owner did not submit the living situation report on time, the Housing Authority issued a relocation notice to the owner on June 30 and terminated the lease on July 31. Today, when taking action to reclaim the unit, staff discovered a body inside the unit. The Housing Authority will cooperate with the police investigation.

It is understood that Ms. Yuen was not a case followed by Social Welfare Department social workers. The Social Welfare Department replied to HK01's inquiry, stating that they would attempt to locate the elderly person's family to provide appropriate assistance.

It is known that the calendar in the involved unit remained at the end of November 2023, and shopping receipts inside the unit indicate that the deceased died around the same time, suggesting she had been dead for over a year and a half. Her skeleton was lying on the bed in the room. Police arrived for investigation, and paramedics confirmed that the 77-year-old woman had died at the scene. The police have contacted her two sons and summoned a coroner to transport the body to the morgue.

This is the second case of an elderly person living alone dying in their home and turning to bones this year. On May 7, an 83-year-old man, Mr. Chau, living alone in Kwai Chung Shek Liu Estate was found dead in his home, turned to bones, and discovered by Housing Authority staff who came to reclaim the unit. It is understood that the police initially estimated that Mr. Chau may have died over a year ago, with his bones scattered on the toilet seat, and the forensic expert needed to collect the broken bones to reassemble them.

Excluding this case, at least 7 cases of individuals living alone dying in their units and decaying to the point of seeing bones or even turning to skeletons have occurred in Hong Kong since 2013, with 6 of them discovered by Housing Authority staff when collecting rent or reclaiming units.