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A mother and her son were found dead inside their flat in Penang on the night of Chap Goh Mei, after neighbours alerted police to a foul smell coming from the unit
The grim discovery was made around 8pm yesterday, 3 March, at a unit on the second floor of Block A at Flat Taman Sahabat in Teluk Kumbar, George Town.
The deceased have been identified as 72-year-old Lee Tet Khim and her 39-year-old son Lam Tong Hoong.
The pair were believed to have died several days earlier, but their deaths went unnoticed until neighbours detected a strong odour and lodged a police report.
The Seri Balik Pulau fire and rescue station received a request for assistance from the police at 8.17pm to break open the door to the unit.
Firefighters arrived at the scene, located about 9km away, at 8.32pm and used special equipment to force open the door.
"After gaining entry, two victims were found inside the house — one in the living room and another in a bedroom. Both were later confirmed dead at the scene by Health Ministry personnel," Penang Fire and Rescue Department assistant operations director John Sagun Francis said.
John said the bodies were handed over to the police for further action.
Initial investigations confirmed that the deceased were a Chinese mother and son who had been living in the unit
After completing preliminary investigations at the scene, police sent both bodies to the hospital mortuary for post-mortem examinations to determine the cause of death.
Authorities are currently investigating whether the deaths were due to sudden medical causes or if any criminal elements were involved.
The police have not issued an official statement on the case.
