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Filipina fell to death in Singapore while sleepwalking: Coroner's inquiry
A 38-year-old Filipina with a history of sleepwalking is believed to have climbed through a 10th storey window while asleep and fallen to her death last year, according to reports.
A 38-year-old Filipina with a history of sleepwalking is believed to have climbed through a 10th storey window while asleep and fallen to her death last year, according to regional broadcaster CNA.
A coroner’s court in Singapore heard on Thursday (May 12) that Ruth Dalumpines Dulfo is said to have inadvertently fallen out of the window in her apartment. No foul play is suspected.
Dulfo, who came to the city-state in 2009, had a history of sleepwalking, with at least four known instances.
The night before her death, she had consumed alcohol during a gathering in the apartment. However, her housemates said that she was sober at the time and could carry on a conversation.
Toxicology tests also found a high but non-lethal concentration of ethanol in Dulfo’s blood.
Police investigations
These facts emerged on the first day of a coroner’s inquiry into Dulfo's death, where a police inspector, one of her housemates and a neurologist specialising in sleep medicine gave testimony.
Dulfo was found lying motionless at the foot of her block at Laguna Park condominium, where she lived with five housemates, in the early hours of June 7, 2021.
According to her housemates, the gathering at the apartment had gone into the early hours of the morning. Two of them said that she was still awake and using her phone when they went to bed at around 3am to 4am. However, they were unsure if she actually went to sleep that night.
At about 7.05am on Jun 7, the police were notified that Dulfo had fallen from a height.
A search of the apartment found an open window, which was usually closed, in the toilet in the main hall. The window measured 67cm wide and 50cm high, and was 1.7m above the floor.
Police found that the location of the toilet window lined up with where Dulfo’s body was found. Her DNA was also found on the window lever.
Investigating officer Gilbert Chow said that Dulfo, who was 1.45m tall and weighed 48kg, was a “very fit” individual who would have been able to pass through the window.
It is believed that a metal shower tap could have supported her weight, providing a surface for her to climb up and propel herself through the open window.
However, Chow also acknowledged that there was no closed-circuit television footage and no witnesses to prove this.
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