When the 8-year-old girl disappeared, people from all walks of life in Singapore followed and joined in the search efforts. But then all hopes were dashed when the police found the girl’s body in a cardboard box, naked. And the identity of the perpetrator then surprised everyone.
Mysterious disappearance
In early 2003, Huang Na’s mother brought her daughter from China to Singapore to access better education. Huang’s dream was to become a doctor to give her mother a better life. Far from her homeland, Huang Na learned to be independent as her mother had to move between Singapore and Fujian to take care of her younger sister, who was 11 months younger than Huang.
On September 27, 2004, one day before Huang Na’s 8th birthday, her mother went back to their hometown for 2 weeks. Before leaving, the mother asked the neighbors to keep an eye on her daughter.
The days without her mother were not difficult for Huang. She was a 2nd-grade student at Jin Tai Elementary School, standing 1.2m tall, with fair skin and straight black hair. This lively girl went to school, ate at nearby food stalls, and sometimes even cooked for her neighbors, bathing and washing clothes in the communal bathroom.
On the evening of October 10, Huang Na called her mother from a phone booth, asking her to buy an electronic English dictionary and a pair of sandals. The mother and daughter talked for about 6 minutes.
That was the last time Huang Shuying heard her daughter’s voice. And that was also the last day anyone saw Huang Na alive. At that time, she was barefoot, wearing a blue jacket.
Large-scale search
Huang Na’s disappearance was first reported in the media on October 14, 4 days after she was last seen around 1 pm near the food stalls less than 500m from home.
Shuying returned to Singapore 2 days after her daughter disappeared, searching everywhere for her, even in construction sites and drains. She showed Huang Na’s photo to everyone she met along the way.
The police also conducted a large-scale search with the participation of many people. They searched Huang Na’s favorite spots for clues.
Hospitals and transport companies also joined the search. A retired 60-year-old businessman offered a $10,000 reward for any information. Another Singaporean promised an additional $5,000.
Joseph Tan, founder of the Crime Library, a volunteer group searching for missing people, and employees in his recycling company distributed flyers to people passing by near where Huang Na disappeared. The CEO of an online design company set up a website to gather information.
ComfortDelGro taxi company requested its drivers to join the search.
In Malaysia, 30 taxi drivers placed Huang Na’s posters on the rear windshield and front seats of their cars. At least 5 coffee shop owners in Johor Jaya, Taman Yew, and Skudai put up posters of the girl.
Those who helped search for the missing girl said they were all in pain when they saw the image of a mother holding her daughter’s toys and clothes, walking through the neighborhoods with tears in her eyes, and continuously calling her daughter’s name.
On October 21, the police released images of a suspect. This information surprised everyone.
Unexpected Suspect
After the mysterious disappearance of 8-year-old Huang Na, the police launched a large-scale search with the support of many civilians.
On October 21, 2004, 11 days after Huang Na went missing, authorities released images of a suspect. It was Took Leng How, a 22-year-old Malaysian youth. This information surprised everyone. Took worked as a vegetable packer at the market and had previously spent time living in the same apartment as Huang Na and her mother, so they were very close. People often saw Took giving Huang rides on his motorcycle.
Took was one of the last people seen with the girl. The 22-year-old Malaysian man disappeared after the police interviewed him twice about Huang Na’s disappearance and asked him to undergo a lie detector test. Took confessed to seeing four gang members abduct the girl. Despite having his passport held, Took still managed to enter Malaysia. The police urged the public to provide information on Took’s whereabouts.
Initially, Huang Shuying – Huang Na’s mother, did not believe Took, whom her daughter considered her uncle, could be involved in anything sinister related to her daughter.
“I don’t believe Took is the one who made my daughter disappear. He had no reason to do so,” Huang Shuying said. “Took cared for the little girl very much. He always bought things for Huang Na. I don’t think Took would ever harm my daughter.”
Took’s 52-year-old father in Malaysia also affirmed that his son called him and said he did not kidnap Huang Na. Took fled Singapore only because he felt pressured by the police.
Meanwhile, Took’s wife, who was living with her in-laws in Malaysia, also stated that Took called her and said someone else had kidnapped Huang Na. Took’s younger brother described his sibling as a “timid” man, not brave enough to borrow money or get into fights, let alone kidnap a child.
However, 9 days after fleeing, Took surrendered to the police in Penang and was brought back to Singapore on October 30.
Body Found in Cardboard Box
On Sunday morning, October 31, about 3 weeks after Huang Na disappeared, a team of 20 police officers and forensic examiners searched a slope at Telok Blangah Hill Park based on information provided by Took. The park was only a few minutes away from Took’s apartment and about a 15-minute drive from the wholesale market where Huang Na was last seen.
After 30 minutes, at around 10:30 am, investigators found a brown cardboard box measuring 50cmx40cmx30cm amidst thick bushes, resembling boxes used at the Pasir Panjang wholesale market, sealed tightly with tape.
Immediately, those present smelled a foul odor emanating from the box. Inside was the naked body of Huang Na, folded in half.
The body was so decomposed that forensic testing was required before confirming it was indeed Huang Na.
This news shocked the entire nation of Singapore. Took was immediately arrested for murder.
On November 8, over a thousand citizens attended the funeral. The procession carried the coffin through the school and recreational spots where the girl used to frequent. The coffin was adorned with Hello Kitty plush toys. Mourners also brought along many of her favorite sweets and snacks.
Read more: Murder that shocked Hong Kong: human head hidden inside Hello Kitty stuffed animal
Painful Death
The decomposed body of Huang Na found in a cardboard box shocked the entire nation of Singapore. Suspect Took Leng How was immediately arrested for murder.
Telok Blangah Hill Park, where the perpetrator disposed of Huang Na’s body, was only a few minutes’ drive from Took’s apartment and about a 15-minute drive from the market where Huang Na was last seen.
Police found signs of struggle in a warehouse at the wholesale market – a location rented by Took’s employer for storing vegetables and dried goods. Police believed this was where Huang Na was attacked.
Took was brought to trial on July 11, 2005.
According to prosecutors, coworkers saw Took with Huang Na around 1 p.m. on October 10, 2004, near the warehouse, holding a bag of mangoes. They were surprised to see Took hanging around the wholesale market as Sundays were usually quiet.
Around 1:40 p.m., Took enticed Huang Na to play hide-and-seek in the warehouse and gave her mangoes to eat. Traces of mango were later found in Huang’s stomach during the autopsy.
Took then undressed, tied up, and sexually assaulted Huang. To ensure Huang couldn’t report what happened, Took suffocated her. He tightly covered Huang Na’s mouth and nose for at least 2 minutes until her body went limp.
To ensure, Took also pressed down on her and kicked the victim before wrapping the body in 9 layers of nylon bags. He then placed it in the cardboard box and sealed it with tape.
Because it was daytime, Took didn’t dare to dispose of the box immediately. He rested there until 5:30 p.m. before borrowing a colleague’s motorcycle to return to his apartment and watched TV as if nothing had happened.
Around 8 p.m., he returned to the warehouse to retrieve the box containing the body, tied it to the back of his motorcycle, and headed to Telok Blangah Hill Park to dispose of it. By 9 p.m., he returned the motorcycle to his colleague. An hour later, the person whom Huang Na’s mother had asked to look after her reported her missing.
Death Penalty for the Murderer
Forensic evidence played a significant role in the trial. Analysis results showed that the tape used to seal the cardboard box came from the same roll found in the warehouse. Took’s fingerprints were found on the tape roll. The nylon bags used to wrap the body matched those in the store where Took worked. Hundreds of fibers from Took’s and Huang Na’s clothes were found in the warehouse.
Took’s confession after his arrest also served as evidence. He admitted that Huang Na was hit on the head while they were playing hide-and-seek. This detail correlated with him tying her hands and feet with a rope after turning off the lights. “If the girl could untie herself before I finished counting and turned the lights on, she would be the winner,” Took recounted.
Forensic pathologist Paul Chui testified that Huang Na died from suffocation, but the signs on her body, such as bruised tongue, vomiting, and loss of bowel control, were consistent with seizures. Meanwhile, a forensic psychiatrist said that seizures were part of the “dying process” and not the primary cause of death.
Took’s coworkers testified that he had previously beaten and tied Huang Na because she was noisy.
Took defended, relying on the testimony of psychiatrist – Dr. R. Nagulendran, to hope to avoid the death penalty.
The psychiatrist testified before the court that Took strangling Huang Na was “irrational” and “cannot be explained” because she was someone he “treated like a daughter”. Took’s reaction to the girl’s death showed that he suffered from a dissociative mental disorder. This means Took couldn’t be fully responsible for his actions. However, forensic psychiatrist G. Sathyadevan rejected the idea that Took was delusional and hallucinated during the crime.
The box containing Huang Na’s body was sealed by applying two strips of tape widthwise at both ends, followed by three strips lengthwise, and the final strip was placed horizontally in the middle of the box. The last strip in the middle would ”ensure that the box is firmly sealed”. The box was sealed ”systematically”.
The prosecution also pointed out that Took had no abnormal mental history, and his method of killing Huang Na was calm and systematic. Took planned the disposal of the body and clothes. He chose a trash bin without surveillance cameras to dispose of the clothes.
On August 26, after a 13-day trial, Took was convicted and sentenced to death. The sentence was carried out at Changi Prison on November 3, 2006.
