Chin Geok Heong, 60, who was in Penang for a two-month holiday with her 62-year-old American husband, died on the way to the Penang Hospital. Doctors at the emergency room pronounced her dead at 4.20am.

Police said according to Chin’s sister, she and her husband had been quarrelling at 2.30am, with screams heard.

When the sister knocked on the door to check if Chin was all right, her husband said she had screamed because she was “unwell”.

Chin’s husband refused to allow a post-mortem on her, but one was done on the insistence of family members. Pathologists said she had died due to suffocation from a heart attack.

A forensic team from the police and Penang Hospital which visited the scene believe Chin was likely smothered to death.

Officers also found scratch marks on her husband’s palms, which he said he had sustained while hitting a punching bag at the gym.

Pictures by investigating officers showed spots of blood on the couple’s bed.

Northeast district police chief Che Zaimani Che Awang said the man was arrested at the Penang Hospital morgue at 5.45pm yesterday.

He will be remanded today, and the case investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code for murder.