SHAH ALAM – A series of missteps, delayed responses and poor inter-agency coordination led to the tragic death of four-year-old Singaporean Megan Khung in early 2020 - a tragedy that could have been prevented, a new review has found.
Released on Oct 23, the report by a review panel revealed a troubling chain of missed warning signs, flawed assessments and unclear protocols that allowed prolonged abuse to go unchecked for more than a year.
A Year of Missed Warnings
Khung’s ordeal began in early 2019, when teachers at the Healthy Start Child Development Centre noticed bruises on her body after she returned from a month-long absence. Her mother, Foo Li Ping, attributed the marks to a cycling accident and “disciplinary action”.
The pre-school’s operator, Beyond Social Services (BSS), suspected excessive punishment and created a temporary care plan for Khung to stay overnight only at her grandmother’s home.
However, the incident report submitted to the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) on April 5, 2019; 17 days after the injuries were noticed, lacked key details.
It did not mention the full extent of Khung's bruises, nor suspicions of drug activity involving Foo and her boyfriend, Wong Shi Xiang, because the information could not be verified.
The delay occurred because the pre-school principal was overseas and at the time, regulations did not specify a reporting timeframe for suspected child abuse.
The review panel noted that if the photographs taken by Khung’s teacher, showing 16 visible injuries, including a possible burn mark; had been submitted, ECDA would likely have recognised it as a clear case of child abuse.
The Disappearance and the Unanswered Calls
In September 2019, Khung stopped attending pre-school. Her mother withdrew her formally, claiming the school lacked Chinese lessons. This was the last time anyone outside the household saw her alive.
Between Sept 20 and 25, 2019, BSS made two calls to the Child Protective Service (CPS) under the Social and Family Development Ministry (MSF), voicing concern about Khung’s safety and Foo’s uncontactable status.
However, CPS only logged one of the calls. The other remains missing from official records, possibly due to technical issues. The community worker also downplayed the severity of the situation by saying that Khung’s grandmother “feels the child is fine (as of the moment).”
The review panel criticised CPS for accepting the grandmother’s view rather than the professionals’ assessment.
“Had the call been discussed with the supervisor, the supervisor might have requested a call-back and suggested further probing into the case,” the panel stated.
An MSF disciplinary investigation is now underway into the CPS officer involved.
The Misperception About Police Reports
Although both CPS and ECDA advised BSS to lodge a police report, the agency did not do so, believing that only family members could file one. The grandmother was hesitant, fearing she would alienate Foo further.
The panel clarified that such an assumption was wrong, stating: “A case of a missing child should have been sufficient cause for concern for anyone with knowledge of it to make a police report.”
When the grandmother finally made a report on Jan 17, 2020, more than four months after Khung’s disappearance, the investigation officer (IO) assigned to the case assessed it as “a case of child discipline with low safety concerns.”
The officer did not escalate it to the supervisor after failing to locate Foo and Khung. The panel found that both the IO and her officer-in-charge (OC) neglected standard police procedures.
“Had Khung’s case been followed up appropriately in January 2020, the likelihood of Khung being located earlier would have been higher,” it wrote.
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) has since disciplined both officers involved.
Escalating Abuse and a Horrific Death
Between late 2019 and early 2020, Foo and Wong subjected Khung to escalating physical and psychological torture. She was starved, beaten and humiliated; forced to wear her soiled diaper on her head and made to sleep naked in a planter box outside their apartment.
On Feb 22, 2020, Wong fatally punched Khung in the stomach. Foo, Wong and their friend Nouvelle Chua later burned the body in a metal barrel at Paya Ubi Industrial Park, scattering her ashes into the sea. Her remains were never recovered.
Khung’s biological father, Khung Wei Nan and grandmother filed police reports in July 2020, leading to Foo and Wong’s arrest on July 23 and Chua’s arrest the following day.
Accountability and Sentencing
Foo was sentenced on April 3, to 19 years in prison for allowing the death of a child, child abuse and disposing of a corpse. Wong received 30 years in jail and 17 strokes of the cane for culpable homicide and related offences. Chua’s case remains pending.
Five Critical Lapses Highlighted by the Review Panel
The independent panel, appointed by Social and Family Development Minister Masagos Zulkifli, identified five systemic failures that contributed to Khung's death:
- Police officers failed to follow procedures – The investigation was prematurely abandoned due to misjudgement and poor supervision.
- CPS did not log or act on critical calls – A failure to document and follow up on hotline reports delayed intervention.
- Delayed and incomplete reporting by the pre-school – The 17-day delay and missing details masked the severity of the abuse.
- Heart@Fei Yue failed to assume responsibility – The child protection specialist centre treated the case as a triage inquiry rather than an urgent referral.
- Widespread misperception about lodging police reports – Professionals believed only family members could report missing children, delaying police involvement.
A Preventable Tragedy
The panel’s report concludes that “Khung’s death could have been avoided had the various agencies acted with greater urgency, clarity and coordination.”
The Social and Family Development Ministry has pledged to tighten child protection protocols, improve cross-agency communication and review reporting processes for suspected abuse cases.
But for Khung, the reforms come too late.
What was once seen as a case of “excessive discipline” became a horrifying reminder that when warning signs are ignored, even by those tasked to protect, a child’s cry for help can be lost forever.