Food deliveryman found dead in blood-stained stairwell at Dakota Crescent, neighbour says he wasn't in good spirits recently

The body of a 32-year-old man was found in a blood-stained stairwell at Dakota Crescent on Friday (Feb 24) morning.

According to media reports, police were alerted to the case at 9.52am. The man was found lying motionless at a staircase landing between the 9th and 10th floors of Block 58.

He was pronounced dead by a paramedic from the Singapore Civil Defence Force, The Straits Times reported. 

Shin Min Daily News reported that the deceased had been working as a food deliveryman.

When reporters from the Chinese evening daily arrived at the scene yesterday afternoon, police had cordoned off the staircase between the 9th and 12th floors for investigations.

Shin Min reported that bloodstains could be seen around the staircase landing where the man's body was found, but no weapons were recovered.

According to the Chinese newspaper, the deceased's sister who arrived on the scene appeared to be distraught as she broke down in tears. She declined to be interviewed.

A resident on the 11th floor who did not wish to be named told Shin Min that he did not hear any unusual noises that morning or notice anything out of the ordinary when he went out.

Only when he returned home at about 11am did he see police officers at the scene.

Another resident whom Shin Min interviewed shared that he'd seen police officers at the foot of the block at about 10am. He took a lift up to check after hearing that a man living on the 12th floor had died. The resident, surnamed Zheng, told the Chinese evening daily that he saw a body covered in a tarp, but there were no bloodstains on it.

He added he saw the police looking around the drains and the nearby playground. "The police also asked the cleaners to empty the rubbish bins. They searched for weapons but didn't find any."

A 76-year-old resident, surnamed Qiu, expressed her shock and sadness at the news. The minimart assistant told Shin Min Daily News that the deceased would usually greet her and other residents who gather at the void deck to chat, and would also help them buy things.

Qiu added that the deceased lived alone, but had two sisters who would visit him occasionally and there were times when she heard arguments. She also shared that the man did not appear to be in good spirits recently and would sometimes scream at night.

The police have classified the incident as a case of unnatural death and investigations are ongoing. The Straits Times reported that based on preliminary investigations, police do not suspect foul play.

candicecai@asiaone.com