Police investigate mysterious death of mother and son after their bodies found inside Hong Kong flat

Authorities are investigating whether foul play was involved after a mother and son were found dead in a public housing flat in Hong Kong on Thursday afternoon.

Police and fire officers were called to King On House in Shan King Estate off Ming Kum Road in Tuen Mun at about 2.30pm following a report from a security guard.

The guard had received complaints from residents who said an odour was emanating from a flat on the 13th floor. “Firefighters broke into the flat and found the bodies behind the front door,” a police spokesman said.

The mother was identified as Yik Shun-mui, 48, and her son as Leung Man-lai, 15.

The two lived together after Yik divorced many years ago. Her 22-year-old son had moved out and lived with his father.

Acting chief inspector Tim Wong Wing-hung of Tuen Mun district crime squad, which is handling the case, said initial examination indicated the two had been dead for at least three weeks.

“There was no indication of fighting or struggling inside the flat and no suspicious wounds were found on the bodies,” he said. The front door was locked when emergency personnel arrived.

Wong said an autopsy would be carried out to ascertain the cause of their deaths and that toxicological tests were also needed.

“There are a lot of uncertainties. It is too early to draw any conclusion or say whether their deaths were suspicious,” he said, adding that officers were looking into their background to gather information.

An initial investigation indicated the two were last seen in June, police said.

It was understood the two did not suffer any illness and that both were unemployed.

Police said no charcoal or drugs used to commit suicide were found at the scene, nor was any note found.

Additional reporting by Naomi Ng