Mary Seow

What happened in her caseAround 2010–2011, Seow (then in her mid-50s) was persuaded by people from China she had met at a church in Singapore to sell her flat (in the Boon Keng area) and her savings, then travel to mainland China to “invest” in their transport business. It turned out to be a scam; she lost essentially everything.

Ashamed and unable to face her family (especially her son), she stayed in China for years, taking low-paid work such as street sweeping to try to recover some money. She later moved to Hong Kong, where she lived on the streets for about three months, occasionally doing parallel trading (carrying goods like diapers, baby formula, and chocolate across the border). She began sleeping in a 24-hour McDonald’s in the Jordan area of Kowloon after noticing others doing the same; she had been there for roughly a few weeks when she was interviewed.

Her family in Singapore had reported her missing, but her whereabouts remained unknown.How she was foundIn early November 2015, Associated Press reporter Kelvin Chan and photographer Vincent Yu were documenting Hong Kong’s “McRefugees.” They met and interviewed Seow at a McDonald’s. Their story (published around 12 November 2015) included her account and photos.

Relatives in Singapore saw coverage in local media (including The New Paper). Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs located her and contacted the family. A video call was arranged between Seow and her son, Edward Goh (then 28). He flew to Hong Kong; they reunited around 20–21 November 2015. She returned with him to Singapore on 21 November, saying she still felt “like dreaming.”

This is the well-documented public case involving Mary Seow. (Note: There is a separate, unrelated Singapore murder case involving an employer named Seow Kim Choo; that is a different person.)