30-4-2024 (MADRID) Authorities probing the brutal killing of Singaporean tourist Audrey Fang, 39, have uncovered a perplexing note on her tablet that appears to justify altering her Central Provident Fund (CPF) nomination to an unnamed “trusted confidant.” The CPF is Singapore’s national pension scheme, and such a nomination would entitle the beneficiary to a payout upon Fang’s demise.
Disturbingly, the note also grants this mystery individual a “friendly loan of US$50,000 (S$68,000) based on our friendship in the past,” separate from the CPF change. Spanish newspaper La Verdad de Murcia reported on 28 April that the Civil Guard is scrutinizing the note, written on 24 March, as part of their investigation into Fang’s grisly murder.
“I want to declare that my decision to name you in my CPF is because you have been a friend for a long time and my trusted confidant,” the puzzling message reads. La Verdad aptly describes it as “raising as many questions as it answers.”
Fang’s battered body, bearing some 30 stab wounds, was discovered on 10 April near a lorry park in the southeastern Spanish town of Abanilla. The Singaporean was on a solo European holiday at the time. Mitchell Ong, 43, was arrested on 16 April in Alicante and remanded into custody nine days later under suspicion of murder.
When shown the tablet note, Fang’s brother Benjamin voiced doubts over its authenticity. He pointed to the informal greeting “Heya” — unusual for his sister, who spoke primarily in Mandarin. Benjamin and Fang’s cousin, identified only as Ms. See, also stated they were unaware of any $68,000 loan or change to her CPF nomination.
Further clouding the case, La Verdad reports that Fang embarked on this fateful trip “at the eleventh hour” despite having a Japan vacation scheduled for 27 April. Her cousin claimed Fang was single but active on the dating app Tinder, adding “I told her that this was not good.”
The arrested Ong has remained tight-lipped since his apprehension. However, he allegedly boasted an “ostentatious lifestyle” to hotel staff and broke down claiming his “Ukrainian girlfriend” with €5,000 had left him. The family’s lawyer says they are “still looking for answers to this macabre crime” and may seek testimony from Fang’s Singapore contacts. Prosecutors could pursue a 20-25 year sentence if Ong is convicted
