SINGAPORE – His parents had plans to open a gym for him to pursue his passion for bodybuilding.
But in his pursuit of his goals, the 20-year-old polytechnic student had turned to an illicit drug that ultimately killed him.
On Oct 16, State Coroner Adam Nakhoda found that the youth, who cannot be named due to a gag order, had taken 2,4-Dinitrophenol, or DNP.
The substance has been banned by the Food and Drug Administration in the US for almost 90 years and is listed under the Poisons Act in Singapore.
It is so dangerous that there are no legitimate medical uses for it in humans, and no effective antidotes or treatments for those poisoned by it.
Yet, it is still falsely marketed by illicit sellers as a fast and safe weight-loss drug.
The youth was hospitalised on Dec 22, 2024, after he went to the emergency department in the early hours of the morning, saying he had difficultly breathing.
Hours later, his heart stopped and they could not resuscitate him.
In his findings, the coroner said the youth was a competitive bodybuilder who trained intensely for long hours, especially when he neared a competition date.
His family knew he had been taking supplements, but did not question him as they trusted him.
The coroner said that according to medical reports, the youth had previously seen several doctors and denied taking illicit drugs and steroids.
This was despite numerous irregularities found in his blood and urine tests.
He had also informed a clinic that he had a previous prescription for weight loss medication from MaNaDr Clinic, which had its license revoked in December 2024 for multiple lapses.
In September 2024, his mother noticed his breathing had become heavy.
He told her he was taking fat burners and she asked him to stop, after which his breathing returned to normal.
On Dec 21, 2024, his parents saw him when they returned home that evening.
They said he appeared normal and ate some watermelon, followed by donuts.
But they noticed he looked tired, though they did not question him about it.
In the early hours of Dec 22, 2024, while his family was asleep, the youth went to the emergency department of Mount Elizabeth as he had difficulty breathing.
He told the doctors he had taken fat burners, but was unable to say exactly how much he had consumed or what they contained.
He was found to have a fever, shortness of breath and was alert but unable to keep his eyes open.
Because of this, there were plans for his urgent admission to intensive care.
But when the doctor called the youth’s father at around 4.30am, he said their insurance did not cover a private hospital ward and asked for his son to be transferred to Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH).
The youth was taken by ambulance and handed over to TTSH at around 5.15am.
As they tried to treat him, he became increasingly agitated and physically aggressive, and had to be chemically sedated.
At around 8.40am, he suffered a cardiac arrest. After 40 minutes of resuscitation, he was pronounced dead at 9.20am.
After his death, the police seized 34 types of medications and substances from his home.
Many of these were for managing the side effects of taking performance enhancing steroids.
While DNP was not found among the seized medications, it was detected in urine and stomach samples taken from the youth after his death.
The death report found that DNP ultimately killed him. The other medications and substances were therapeutic and did not cause or contribute to his death.
The coroner said the police had seized the youth’s phone but could not unlock it.
As a result, the source of the various substances, including the DNP, could not be established.
It could also not be ascertained if the youth knew that he was consuming DNP.
Police investigations did not suspect foul play.
The coroner said it was a profound tragedy that someone so full of potential had died so young.
He added that the youth’s death must serve as a reminder that using substances such as steroids and DNP to achieve one’s goals in bodybuilding or other sports is dangerous.
The death was ruled as a substance-related accident.
After the findings were delivered, the youth’s mother who was present in court said she took issue with TTSH’s care.
She also alluded that her son may have been coerced and made to consume DNP while under tremendous pressure to maintain a certain weight and physique.
She said there was a person from the bodybuilding community behaving suspiciously at the youth’s wake.
The coroner noted there was no evidence that the youth was given DNP against his will, though such a scenario would point to foul play.
He suggested that the mother give a statement to the police and he would reopen the inquiry if necessary.
The mother agreed to do so.
A follow-up court session for the case has been slated for Oct 26.
