Newborn dumped in Taiwan: Blood samples from S’porean couple’s hotel room match baby’s DNA

SINGAPORE — Blood samples found in a Singaporean couple’s hotel room match the DNA of the newborn girl whose remains were dumped into a kitchen waste bucket in central Taipei, Taiwanese police said. 

The latest development, reported by Taiwanese media on Monday (March 4), raises the scrutiny on the 23-year-old man and 24-year-old woman, who were alleged to have dumped the infant in the early hours of Feb 26.

Blood samples and hair retrieved from the bathroom drain hole in the couple’s room were used for DNA testing.

The child, found with her umbilical cord and placenta intact, was reportedly disposed of shortly after her birth.

Earlier on March 4, the Singapore Police Force said they will help the Taiwanese authorities in their investigation into the case.

Responding to TODAY, a police spokesman said they have been in touch with the authorities in Taiwan and are waiting for an official request for assistance.

“We are unable to comment further as investigations by the Taiwanese authorities are ongoing,” the spokesman added.

He declined to comment on the couple’s latest whereabouts and whether they have been arrested.

The next step for the Taiwanese police, according to at least two Taiwanese reports, is to confirm through an autopsy on Tuesday (March 5) if the baby died before or after her birth.

A stillbirth will mean that the couple violated the country’s laws surrounding the disposal of biomedical waste. If the child died after birth, the couple will face more serious charges, including homicide.

In a report on March 1, Singapore newspaper Shin Min Daily said that it managed to reach the man at the centre of the case, but he denied that his girlfriend was pregnant and had given birth in Taiwan.

He also said that he had not left his hotel to throw the bag away.

The girl, when reached by Shin Min, also denied to have been pregnant, noting that she would not have been able to board their flight, which was reportedly on Feb 19.

Meanwhile, the couple’s respective family members were quoted in Shin Min saying that the duo had not returned home since their trip and had remained uncontactable.

MORE ABOUT THE CASE

On the morning of Feb 26, an employee of a recycling company in Xindian discovered the newborn’s body after a garbage truck arrived with its load from Taipei, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency, citing information provided by local police.

The employee found the body wrapped in a black plastic bag, and immediately called the police.

Local police reviewed street camera footage and discovered that the bag had been disposed of by a man in Taipei’s shopping district of Ximending at around 3am on Feb 26.

The police traced the couple to a hotel in Taipei’s Wanhua District, which the Central News Agency said was popular with South-east Asian visitors, but they had already checked out on Feb 26 afternoon.

The couple are believed to have departed from Taiwan later that day and are now in Singapore.