SINGAPORE – Two babies died after being abused by their parents between 2021 and 2024, said Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli.
In both cases, his ministry’s Protective Service had not been alerted to the abuse before the children died, Masagos said on Nov 3 in a written parliamentary reply to Nominated MP Kenneth Poon.
The Straits Times understands that the two children who died were Trevor Neo and Zabelle Peh. Trevor died at eight months old in September 2024 after his mother hit and smothered him. Zabelle died at two months old in January 2023 from head injuries after her mother forcefully dropped her into a cot.
Poon asked for the number of substantiated cases of child abuse or neglect involving children aged three and below in each of the past five years, and the number of such cases that resulted in serious injuries or death.
He also asked what proportion of such cases was previously reported to child protection agencies.
In 2025, there were 687 child abuse cases involving children, from newborns up to those aged six, that required statutory intervention by the Ministry of Social and Family Development’s (MSF) Protective Service, which manages high-risk child abuse cases.
Of these cases, three involved serious injuries but no child died, Masagos said.
The parliamentary question came after Trevor’s parents were sentenced to jail on Oct 21. His father, Neo Jia Ming, 27, was sentenced to 16 years’ jail, while his 23-year-old mother Chloe Gan was sentenced to 15 years and three months’ jail.
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