Upper Bukit Timah deaths: Father of 11-year-old boys taken to canal where bodies were found

SINGAPORE - Xavier Yap Joun Houn, 48, the father of two 11-year-old boys who were found dead in a canal near the Greenridge Crescent playground, was taken by the police to where their bodies were discovered on Thursday (Jan 27).

Yap was charged on Monday with the murder of one of his sons, Ethan Yap E Chern. The other son was identified as Aston Yap Kai Shern.

At about 3.10pm on Thursday, Yap was seen arriving at the scene in a black van. He wore a red shirt and dark pants and walked with his head lowered.

He was also handcuffed and surrounded by about five police officers.

He was then taken to the canal, the area around which had earlier been cordoned off by the police.

Two officers were seen placing markers of arrows around the area.

One marker was placed at a nearby playground near an exercise machine, one placed in the canal, while another was placed on the stairs leading down to the canal.

The two boys were found in the canal, which is near a playground in Greenridge Crescent, between 4.23pm and 6.25pm last Friday.

Yap was arrested the next day.

The boys are believed to have had special needs and attended a school in the Eng Kong estate area.

Many offerings consisting of snacks, flowers and notes have been placed at the canal on a pathway.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.