Who’s the Mystery Man Under the Kallang Bahru Bridge?
Picture this: a quiet morning, a piece of scaffolding crew on a Singaporean bridge, and then boom—there’s a skull, and the crew calls in the police. It turns out the remains they find are the skeletonized half‑body of a man whose name we still can’t pin down. Even with DNA science and a pile of missing‑person files, the mystery remains.
What the Coroner Decided
State Coroner Adam Nakhoda gave the case an open verdict on Tuesday (Jan 11). That means he couldn’t say exactly why the man died. No signs of gunshot wounds, no blunt‑force injury, no obvious foul play. The evidence? None.
Who Was the Skeleton?
- He was an Asian man, roughly between his 30s and 60s.
- He had probably died more than six months but less than a year before the skeleton was unearthed on Nov 9, 2020.
- His body had been well skeletonised—no flesh, no organs left.
- There were a few maggots inside his skull, and the bones had a brown tint.
What Was Found Alongside the Bones?
- Clothing: A T‑shirt, a suit of underwear, and some hair clumps. The DNA from those items didn’t match anything in the authorities’ database.
- Other Gear: A suitcase, a brown bag, and a black‑white striped bag. Inside the suitcase were jeans, underwear, a belt, and a lone sock—again, no DNA match.
- Paperwork: Bills on paper with phone numbers. Calls came back with people who’d no clue about any missing person. Move over, paper trail.
Did Anyone Take a Shot?
During the inquest, a man named Mr LBP stepped forward. He claimed the bones were his brother’s, who had vanished on Aug 19, 1986. The family’s old haunt—the bridge—was a spot where they’d used to hang out. He even offered DNA for comparison, but alas—no match.
The 18 Missing‑Person Files
The police went through a list of 18 unsettled cases filed between June 2019 and June 2020. Only four of them matched the age and background profile of the skeleton. Unfortunately, each got ruled out:
- • Case One: A guy tentatively named Mr NHS was last seen in 2009 by family, telling them he’d head to Thailand for two weeks. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed he never returned to Singapore during the relevant time frame.
- • The other three were eliminated for various reasons—think mismatched DNA, different times, or no forensic evidence lined up.
Where’s the Mystery Man?
We still don’t know his name. The skeleton’s DNA is still in the void. Unless someone steps forward with fresh clues—or until the missing‑person files are re‑examined—the identity of the ghost under the bridge remains an unsolved chapter in Singapore’s forensic folklore.
Specifically, a skeletal mystery that has had more questions than answers, proof that sometimes even high tech can get its hands tied in the human story of the missing.
About the Inquest
The case was heard in court on Tuesday, Jan 11, with the coroner presenting his findings. If more data surfaces, the verdict might shift. Until then, this skeleton lives on dual trouble: the mystery of the man, and the eerie silence that now stays below the bridge.
