Twin Boys With Special Needs Found Dead In Canal, Father Charged With Murder

A man in Singapore was charged with murder after his 11-year-old twins were found dead in a canal Monday. The children were said to have special needs.

Xavier Yap Jung Houn, 48, is accused of murdering his one son, Ethan Yap, between 4.23 p.m. ET and 6.25 p.m. ET on Jan. 21 at the canal located at Greenridge Crescent playground in the city's Upper Bukit Timah area, the Straits Times reported. It was unclear how Houn carried out the murder.

Houn was only charged with the murder of his one son, Ethan. It was unclear if he was facing any charges in connection with the murder of the other twin, Ashton, Yahoo News reported. Yap's first court appearance took place virtually on Monday. His lawyer, Anil Singh Sandhu, requested the media to give the family some space.

"The media is present this morning in court and the victims here are two young children aged 11. (Over) the past few days, the media has been quite active in reporting this matter, but I’m sincerely urging the media to give the family some space and privacy to deal with the loss of two young children," Sandhu told the Straits Times.

The prosecutor asked for Houn to be remanded for a week with permissions to be taken out by investigators if the investigation demanded so. Only one charge was levied against Houn on Monday. He is likely to be sentenced to death if convicted.

Police received a call from a person on Friday asking for help at the playground. When officers arrived, they found the twins lying motionless nearby. The children were pronounced dead at the scene by a paramedic.

In October 2021, a Nebraska father was charged with first-degree murder for smothering his two young children to death while the children were in his custody. Adam Price, 36, was charged with the murders of Theodore, 3, and Emily, 5. The children's mother, Mary Neilsen, was separated from the father and was living in Illinois. Price's bond was set at $2.5 million on felony child abuse charges.