28-4-2024 (SINGAPORE) More than a fortnight after Audrey Fang disappeared during a solo jaunt to Spain, the 39-year-old’s body was repatriated, prompting a sombre wake at her family home along Petir Road on 27 April.
Speaking to reporters at the funeral service, Ms Fang’s brother Benjamin and cousin, who wished to be identified only as Ms See, voiced their anguish over the horrific tragedy.
“I’m relieved she’s back with us so we can bid her farewell properly,” said Mr Fang, 34. “But so many questions remain unanswered about what transpired in Spain and the disturbing circumstances of her death.”
Ms Fang was discovered with around 30 stab wounds near a lorry park in the town of Abanilla on 10 April, some 150km from her hotel in Xabia. On 16 April, Spanish authorities arrested Singaporean Mitchell Ong, 43, in connection with the case.
Fighting back tears, Mr Fang recalled how his sister had been the family’s pillar after their mother passed in 2019, with the siblings residing together with their parents. Desperate to comprehend Ms Fang’s ties to Ong, they scoured her possessions, unearthing insurance letters from AIA bearing the suspect’s Chinese name – Ong Cheong Yi.
“When we spotted ‘Ong Cheong Yi’ on her policy documents, we wondered if it was the same person but couldn’t confirm it was Mitchell,” Ms See revealed. “Now we’ve established the connection.”
The files showed Ms Fang purchased two investment-linked plans from AIA via Ong in August 2015 – a $3,000 family protection scheme and a $50,000 asset accumulation policy.
Ms Fang embarked for Spain on 4 April, informing kin she might reunite with an ex-colleague, though providing scant details. With no contact from her by 9 April evening, Mr Fang grew alarmed, as she typically kept the family updated abroad.
He sought the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ aid the following day. After Ms Fang missed her 12 April flight home, he lodged a police report. By then, her Xabia hotel had alerted local police about her unexplained absence despite her belongings remaining.
On 16 April, Mr Fang, Ms See and friend Ms Lee Si Hui flew to Spain seeking answers. There, a ministry representative broke the devastating news of Ms Fang’s demise.
“Identifying her body was heart-wrenching – she had numerous stab wounds, a battered face, cracked skull and severe head injuries,” Mr Fang recounted. “The savagery is incomprehensible,” Ms See added.
Labelling Ms Fang “the best elder sister”, the distraught Mr Fang confided: “She selflessly cared for our family after Mum passed, handling the cooking as Dad couldn’t. Now I’m grappling with her untimely loss.”
Prior to the tragedy, Ms Fang had planned to rejoin former employer Sunray Woodcraft Construction, having stepped aside in 2022 to operate her late mother’s florist business. Former colleague Ng Zong Han, 38, revealed she had apprised him of the Spain travels, her last communication being about attending a Sunray staffer’s June nuptials – “underscoring how tight-knit she remained with ex-colleagues.”
In 2020, the industrious Ms Fang had launched an online seafood venture – Anseafood – with a friend amid Covid-19, though her partner now intends to wind it down following her demise.
Spanish media suggest an “economic motive” may underlie the murder, with police citing recent financial transfers by Ms Fang to an unidentified party. This aligns with acquaintance accounts of Ong claiming to own co-living properties in Spain last year.
Besides insurance, Ong had varied business pursuits like trading in cryptocurrency and music investments. He faces legal suits over a prior firm and was once divorce-petitioned, though that case was withdrawn.
As Ong remains tight-lipped in Spanish custody, Mr Fang pleaded: “He’s the only one with answers. I hope investigators thoroughly probe this to bring us closure and ensure the perpetrator gets prosecuted to the fullest extent.”
