Xu Na’s university classmates have stepped forward to help after learning about her death in the Sengkang double death case.
Through the Chinese Embassy, they have managed to locate her household registration in China and are now trying to contact her family, reported Shin Min Daily News. A group of her former classmates has also been formed to help handle her posthumous arrangements.
The incident took place on October 6 when blood-stained water dripping from the ceiling led to the discovery of a father and daughter dead in a Sengkang flat. The daughter, 47-year-old Xu Na, was a Cambridge University PhD holder who had studied and worked in several countries.
Mr Xu (45), one of her former classmates at the National University of Singapore (NUS), told reporters that although he had not seen Xu Na for many years, he immediately informed other classmates through a chat group after reading the news.
“We decided to work together and use different ways to try to reach her family,” he said.
He shared that some classmates had contacted the Chinese Embassy in Singapore, which confirmed that Xu Na’s household registration is in Huanggu District, Shenyang City. The next step is to reach out to the local authorities there or seek the embassy’s help to contact her relatives.
Mr Xu also managed to find a former colleague of Xu Na in France, but that person did not know much about her family.
As for handling Xu Na’s affairs, he said the group is currently seeking legal advice before taking further action, adding that investigations into her cause of death will likely take some time.
Classmates confirm identity after doubts
Mr Mo (46), another NUS classmate who works in IT, said he recognised Xu Na’s photo when the news first broke, but was uncertain at first due to mentions of mental health issues.
“When I saw the news on the 7th, I first denied it, because it mentioned that she had mental health problems. But some classmates checked with our professors and contacted her former colleagues in France. In the end, we confirmed it was her,” he said.
He added that he, Xu Na and Mr Xu entered NUS in 1998. Xu Na was an outstanding student. While most students took four years to complete the course, she graduated in just over three years and continued on to pursue her Master’s degree.
Mo shared that he and a few classmates will arrange a Taoist ceremony for Xu Na.
“We checked with her former colleagues in France to see if she had any religious beliefs, but they said they were not aware of any. So we decided to arrange a Taoist prayer ceremony for her,” he said.
May have suffered emotionally after her mother passed away
Mo described Xu Na during their university days as tall, slim and soft-spoken. She took her group work and studies seriously.
A classmate told him they had spoken to Xu Na in 2012, and she seemed fine at the time. According to her Facebook page, her last update was in 2014.
Xu Na’s blog also revealed that she had compiled her academic qualifications and publications online. Outside of her academic life, she enjoyed cooking and painting, often uploading pictures of her dishes and artwork.
A former colleague who worked with her in France and now teaches at Peking University also told Mo that she appeared to be doing well at that time.
Her classmates believe that she may have suffered emotionally after her mother passed away from cancer, which could have contributed to her mental health struggles.
Former teacher remembers her as a top student
Xu Na’s former mathematics teacher at Anglo-Chinese Junior College (ACJC), Ng Chong Yee (55), contacted Shin Min Daily News after recognising her name in the reports.
“She was the most outstanding female student of her cohort. She was humble, soft-spoken and never liked to trouble others. Even when she came to ask questions after class, she always spoke very politely. She was a very good and sensible student,” he said.
Ng shared that Xu Na had originally come from a neighbourhood school and scored a C6 for O-Level English, which led to a temporary transfer to another junior college.
“All her other subjects were excellent, only English and Humanities were weaker. After three months, she appealed to return to ACJC because she really liked it here. I spoke to the principal on her behalf, and the school eventually agreed to let her return,” he said.
Ng last saw Xu Na in 1999 at the NUS canteen, when both of them were pursuing their Master’s degrees.
“She told me she wanted to ‘compete’ with me to see who would finish the Master’s programme first. I never expected that years later, something like this would happen to her,” he said.
