Took Leng How was born on December 16, 1981, in Penang, Malaysia. He grew up in Penang before migrating to Singapore at the age of 18 in search of better employment opportunities.. At around the age of 18, he works as a vegetable packer at the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre. There, he befriended Huang Na, the eight-year-old daughter of one of his co-workers. Highly sociable yet reserved in other contexts, Took rented a flat nearby, married an Indonesian-Chinese woman, and had a son with her.

In his work environment, Took was familiar with other families who lived or worked at the wholesale centre, including a young Chinese girl named Huang Na and her mother, Huang Shuying. Took was known to play with Huang Na, buy her snacks, and give her motorcycle rides. His background appeared normal, with no significant criminal history. 

On October 10, 2004, Huang Na disappeared from Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre near where her mother worked. Despite intense searches, including leaflet distribution and public outreach, no trace of her was found. Police questioned Took on October 19–20, 2004. Under pressure, Took claimed she had been kidnapped by "three Chinese men". During a polygraph session on October 21, he escaped while in custody* and fled to Penang, Malaysia.

Took returned voluntarily on October 30, 2004, confessing that he had accidentally strangled Huang Na during a hide-and-seek game in a storeroom. Investigators found Huang Na’s body the very next day in Telok Blangah Hill Park—wrapped in nine layers of plastic inside a sealed box.

A 14-day trial at the High Court began on July 11, 2005. The prosecution produced 76 witnesses, demonstration re-enactments, and forensic evidence of bruising and asphyxia. The defence argued schizophrenia and diminished responsibility; psychiatry testified that Took was “inappropriate” and delusional, but prosecution experts rejected mental impairment. On August 27, 2005, Justice Lai Kew Chai found Took guilty of murder and sentenced him to death. In his judgment, Justice Lai dismissed the mental illness defence and concluded that the murder was premeditated, methodical, and “clearly the product of a cold and calculating mind.” 

Took appeals to the Court of Appeal; in January 2006, the panel upheld the conviction and death sentence in a 2–1 split decision, with the dissenting judge favoring reduced charges due to inconclusive evidence. His final appeal for clemency to President S.R. Nathan was rejected in October 2006. At dawn on November 3, 2006, Took Leng How was executed by hanging at Changi Prison.