Singaporean woman killed in Spain had bought insurance from suspect; dozens pay respects at funeral wake

SINGAPORE: Ms Audrey Fang, the Singaporean woman who was killed in Spain more than two weeks ago, had bought insurance policies from her suspected killer in 2015, her family discovered on Saturday (Apr 27).

They were looking through her belongings when they came across two investment-linked policies from insurer AIA, said her cousin who only wanted to be known as Ms See. 

The policies were sold by an agent named Ong Cheong Yi, which the family was told is the suspect Mitchell Ong's Chinese name.

Marriage registration records in Singapore also show that the suspect got married in June 2012 under the name Ong Cheong Yi.

According to a LinkedIn profile that has since been deleted, Ong worked at AIA from January 2014 to February 2019.

The family previously did not know what kind of relationship Ms Fang had with Ong.

Ms Fang, 39, was found dead with 30 stab wounds on Apr 10 in Spain, where she had been on a solo trip. With the help of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ms Fang's body was repatriated to Singapore.

Dozens of relatives, classmates, colleagues and friends were at the first day of her funeral wake on Saturday to pay their respects. The wake will last for three days until Apr 29.

Her uncle, who wanted to be known only as Mr See, said Ms Fang was supposed to travel to Japan with his wife, his daughter and another relative.

"My wife packed all her luggage," said Mr See, 71. They were supposed to fly out on Saturday.

After what happened to Ms Fang, his wife has been "crying nonstop", he said, tearing up. "We were very close."

Ms Fang arrived in Spain on Apr 4 and had been due to return to Singapore on Apr 12, according to Spanish media outlets.

She left her belongings in her luxury hotel in Javea on Apr 9 and became uncontactable shortly after.

The following day, her body was found near a parking area for lorries in the town of Abanilla, about 150km away.

Spanish newspaper La Verdad de Murcia said a preliminary autopsy found that knife wounds and head trauma were the cause of death.

Ong, a 43-year-old Singaporean, was arrested on Apr 16 in Alicante in connection with her death. At the time of his arrest, the authorities did not reveal the nature of their relationship.

He appeared in court on Apr 19.

Mr See said the family was told that Ong could have been released from custody within 48 hours because there had not been enough incriminating evidence, but the judge agreed to their lawyer's request for him to be remanded in custody while investigations continued. 

He added that the Spanish police and the family's lawyer have been helpful.

ECONOMIC MOTIVE?

It was previously reported that there might have been an "economic" motive for the killing, with Spanish media outlet Levante El Mercantil Valenciano saying that Ms Fang had transferred money to an unidentified third person.

Mr See said the family was concerned that Ong may have been nominated to receive Ms Fang's Central Provident Fund (CPF) money.

Spanish police retained her electronic devices for investigations and told the family that there was an attempt to make changes to Ms Fang's CPF account in March, before she left for her trip.

Now that the family has received Ms Fang's death certificate, they plan to approach the authorities to check if Ong had been made a beneficiary for her insurance plans or CPF money.

They will also try to verify whether money was transferred out of her bank account.

CHEERFUL AND OUTGOING

Former colleagues at Sunray Woodcraft Construction came to say their final goodbyes to Ms Fang on Saturday night.

She had worked there for around eight years before leaving the firm and was due to return to the company sometime after her trip to Japan.

Those who spoke to CNA at the wake described her as cheerful and outgoing, but kept her personal life separate from work.

Mr KC Lee, 36, said he was not on the same team as Ms Fang, but met her during informal meetings where several project teams would gather.

"She could always take a joke," he said, adding that they always had fun during meetings.

Mr Allen Toh, 57, was Ms Fang's superior during her stint at Sunray. He said she was approachable and was a happy-go-lucky person.

"We are quite close, it's like brother and sister when we worked under the same team," he said.