SINGAPORE — The father of a toddler whose remains were found in a Chin Swee Road rental flat two weeks ago returned to court on Tuesday (Sept 24), a week after he and his wife were charged with the girl’s murder.

The 31-year-old man was ordered to be remanded in Changi Prison’s Complex Medical Centre for three weeks more for psychiatric observation and will return to court on Oct 15.

The couple are accused of killing their two-and-a-half-year-old daughter at Block 52 Chin Swee Road in March 2014, but the girl’s remains were discovered only earlier this month. They have been in remand since June last year for unrelated offences.

They cannot be named in order to protect the identities of their other children. A spokesperson from the Ministry of Social and Family Development said last week that the children are all “under stable alternative care arrangements”.

Court documents showed that the father has three pending charges, including one for rioting with four others on April 5 last year past 3.30am. 

Sometime in June last year, he allegedly took methamphetamine, although he had previously been admitted to the Drug Rehabilitation Centre twice before in 2011 and 2016 for abusing drugs. 

The 30-year-old mother will return to court on Oct 1. 

On Sept 9, she was sentenced to five years and two months’ jail over drug and theft charges and has been serving time.

If convicted of murder, the couple face the death penalty.

Reports by Chinese newspapers stated that the toddler’s remains were found in a metal pot. Neighbours told TODAY that the couple has at least three other children.