Timeline of events in the case of Megan Khung’s abuse and death

On 23 October 2025, a review panel released its findings into the handling of the abuse case of four-year-old Megan Khung, who died in February 2020 after more than a year of prolonged mistreatment by her mother and her mother’s then-boyfriend.

The findings follow an April 2025 announcement by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) that a comprehensive review would be conducted across all agencies involved in the case. This included Beyond Social Services, which operated the preschool Megan attended, the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA), MSF’s Child Protective Service (CPS), and the Singapore Police Force.

MSF’s press statement on 11 April 2025 acknowledged that an earlier incident report from Beyond Social Services to ECDA did not adequately reflect the extent of Megan’s injuries, contributing to insufficient intervention. While the ministry initially highlighted this gap, it later clarified that the intent was not to assign blame but to identify systemic weaknesses and strengthen child protection.

The move came shortly after the sentencing of Foo Li Ping and Wong Shi Xiang on 3 April. Foo received 19 years’ jail for allowing her daughter’s death and related charges, while Wong was sentenced to 30 years and 17 strokes of the cane for culpable homicide and drug offences.

Public response to the case was marked by widespread outrage, prompting calls for urgent reform in Singapore’s child protection protocols.

Online discussions raised concerns about gaps in coordination, clarity of responsibility, and delayed interventions by multiple stakeholders, including ECDA, CPS, and the police. The roles of Megan’s grandmother and biological father were also debated.

Amid these concerns, MSF reaffirmed its commitment to institutional accountability and announced that the review panel’s findings would inform policy reforms, improved procedures, and clearer escalation mandates in cases of suspected child abuse.

On the same day the findings were released, Singapore’s Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli issued a formal apology, acknowledging that the agencies involved could have done more to prevent the tragedy.

“As the lead for the national child protection system, I would like to say that we are sorry for the outcome,” said Masagos.

“We cannot eradicate every risk of a child loss. But our resolve is absolute. We will do everything possible to prevent the recurrence of such tragedies.”

“We will make sure that every link in our child protection ecosystem; every professional and agency; does its very best and more, to protect our vulnerable children.”

What follows is a detailed timeline reconstructed from the panel’s report and related information, charting how the case unfolded from early warning signs in 2019 to Megan’s tragic death in early 2020.

Early 2019: Warning signs begin to surface

January 2019

Foo Li Ping moved into a rented apartment on Guillemard Road with her new partner, Brian Wong. Megan remained primarily in the care of her maternal grandmother but visited Foo on some weekends.

18 February – 18 March 2019

Megan was frequently absent from her preschool, Healthy Start Child Development Centre. She attended only five days in this period. The preschool and Beyond Social Services communicated with Foo, who stated on 9 March that she had taken “disciplinary action” and did not want the school to think she had abused her daughter.

March 2019: Injuries detected, care plan initiated

19 March 2019

Upon returning to preschool, Megan was found with multiple bruises by teachers during a health check. Beyond Social Services was alerted and arranged separate meetings with Foo and the grandmother. Foo attributed the injuries to discipline and a cycling accident.

Beyond Social Services classified the case as "excessive discipline" rather than abuse and implemented a temporary care plan. Megan would stay overnight only at her grandmother’s home, and only the grandmother was permitted to handle drop-offs and pick-ups.

22 March 2019

After a quarrel between Foo, Wong, and the grandmother, the care plan was adjusted. Megan had to be returned to the grandmother by 8pm on weekends. The grandmother raised suspicions of Foo and Wong's drug use to Beyond Social Services. However, this information was excluded from the incident report later submitted to ECDA, as it could not be verified.

April 2019: Delays in reporting

5 April 2019

The preschool submitted the incident report to ECDA—17 days after the injuries were discovered. The delay was attributed to the principal being on overseas leave. The report downplayed the extent of injuries and did not include photographs taken by the teacher showing multiple bruises and possible burn marks.

9 April 2019

ECDA acknowledged the report. After confirming Megan was attending preschool regularly and appeared well, the case was not pursued further.

April to August 2019: Superficial compliance, deeper risks unaddressed

During this period, Megan was attending preschool regularly. Beyond Social Services attempted to arrange a Family Group Conference to establish long-term care.

Foo initially agreed but continually delayed and never attended the meeting. Despite superficial stability, no deeper investigation or follow-up was conducted.

September 2019: Contact lost, concern escalates

5 September 2019

Megan attended preschool for the last time.

10 September 2019

The grandmother informed the school that Megan was unwell and staying with Foo—a breach of the care plan.

17 September 2019

Foo formally withdrew Megan from preschool, citing language curriculum concerns. The abuse escalated during this period. The grandmother, unable to locate Foo, relied on video calls, last occurring between 10 and 20 September, in which Megan appeared “fine”.

20–27 September 2019: Unsuccessful multi-agency escalation

20–25 September 2019

Beyond Social Services contacted MSF’s Child Protective Service. Only one of the two calls made was found in MSF’s system. The retrieved call revealed that the risks were not clearly conveyed, and the officer relied on the grandmother’s opinion that Megan was safe.

25–27 September 2019

Beyond Social Services contacted HEART@Fei Yue’s child protection specialist centre. HEART declined to open a case, stating that Megan and her mother could not be located. The panel later concluded HEART should have treated the outreach as a referral for full case management.

October 2019: Agencies defer to grandmother, police not engaged

1–3 October 2019

Beyond Social Services contacted ECDA again. ECDA advised that the grandmother could file a police report.

4–17 October 2019

Beyond contacted two police officers informally. One advised filing a report. No report was made, as staff believed only family members could do so—a legal misunderstanding. Foo remained uncontactable.

November 2019 to January 2020: Continued inaction despite growing concerns

The grandmother was eventually blocked by Foo and could no longer contact her or Megan. Foo’s brother also failed to reach her. Beyond advised the grandmother to file a police report, but she refused, fearing Foo would flee. Social workers attempted to trace Megan at Wong’s last known address but found nothing.

17 January 2020: Police report filed, but mishandled

A community worker accompanied the grandmother to lodge a police report. However, the assigned investigation officer classified the case as low risk, referencing the earlier “excessive discipline” assessment and noting that Megan was with her biological mother.

Though some attempts were made to contact Foo, the officer was later redeployed for COVID-19 duties. No follow-up or escalation occurred, and the case was not discussed at the supervisory level. The review panel concluded this was a critical missed opportunity to intervene.

22 February 2020: Megan dies from prolonged abuse

Megan died after being punched in the stomach by Wong. She had endured prolonged, escalating abuse, including food deprivation, exposure to heat, humiliation, and forced sleeping arrangements in a planter box. Her body was burned in a metal barrel, and her ashes scattered at East Coast Park.

23–24 July 2020: Arrests made

Foo and Wong were arrested by police at their Guillemard Road residence on 23 July. Nouvelle Chua, a third party, was arrested the next day for drug consumption and child abuse.

3 April 2025: Sentencing of Foo and Wong

Foo was sentenced to 19 years’ imprisonment for allowing her daughter’s death, child abuse, and impeding investigations. Wong received 30 years’ jail and 17 strokes of the cane for culpable homicide and related charges.

23 October 2025: Review panel releases findings

The panel’s findings highlighted systemic failures across six agencies:

• MSF’s Child Protective Service

• Beyond Social Services

• ECDA

• HEART@Fei Yue

• The Singapore Police Force

• Healthy Start Child Development Centre

Key gaps included miscommunication, failure to escalate risks appropriately, delays in reporting, poor judgment of danger levels, and lack of ownership of the case. The panel noted that Megan's death could possibly have been prevented if agencies had taken timely and coordinated action.