Heartbreaking daily ritual of Shirley Singh 20 years after children murdered
This devastating daily routine is the only thing that has kept Shirley Singh going since her children were brutally taken from her 20 years ago.
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Her children were murdered in their rooms, some as they slept, but it is here that Shirley Singh goes to tuck them in each night - 20 years after they were taken from her.
They smile at her from framed photographs, and if it’s too hot for blankets, she takes care to tuck in their pictures only using the sheets.
This is how Shirley has survived the years without her children, by keeping them alive in this small way.
The devoted mother has spoken of her unending heartache and the strength she has found to carry on for the release of her book, Shirley’s Story, written with former journalist and close friend Emily Eklund Power.
Neelma, 24, Kunal, 18 and Sidhi, 12, were murdered by Neelma’s ex-boyfriend and the family’s former neighbour, Massimo “Max” Sica in 2003.
Sica murdered Neelma in a fit of rage before killing her younger siblings as they slept in their beds to ensure their silence.
Sica is currently serving a 35 year sentence for the triple killing.
Tragically, Shirley’s only surviving child Archana, the eldest by two years, died suddenly in 2020 from a brain aneurysm.
Today, Shirley carries mementos of each of her children in her handbag - a lock of Archana’s hair, Kunal’s baby bonnet.
She still lives in the house where they were killed and has kept their bedrooms exactly as they were when they were alive.
“I don’t want to leave that house because of the memories of my children,” Shirley said.
“Ever since things happened, I’ve been sleeping on the sofa.
“Call me crazy, that’s fine. I sleep on the sofa just in case my children need me.”
Shirley celebrates her children’s birthdays as though they were still with her, buying them presents and cards and cooking their favourite meals.
She knocks on her son Kunal’s door first, honouring the time he once laughingly told her she needed to give him privacy.
“Archana’s room and Neelma’s room and Sidhi’s room are always open,” Shirley said.
“And I say happy birthday to them and I choose what to cook for them.”
She described how she brings Kunal a beer and for the girls, a vodka cruiser to celebrate the annual milestones.
“If it’s a spiritual day, I do offerings, I dress them up with flowers. I’ve got a candle I’ve been lighting ever since I lost my children,” she said.
Shirley’s Story, featured in QWeekend, will be in bookstores from Saturday
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