'Cheerful, loving, a true friend': Former colleagues remember Singaporean woman killed in Spain

SINGAPORE - Ms Audrey Fang, who was found dead in Spain after reportedly being stabbed more than 30 times, was a charismatic person who was cheerful and a true friend, said her former colleagues at DP Architects.

Mr David Liauw, a director at DP Architects, said although Ms Fang left the firm 12 years ago, many of her colleagues remember her well and had fond memories of the time she spent at the firm.

Speaking to The Straits Times, he said: “Collectively, she has been described as a true friend who generously offered a listening ear.

“She was soft-spoken with a cheerful and charismatic personality, always holding an uncompromising belief in all that is good.”

He added that she “exemplified life, love, laughter and an irrepressible belief and faith in seeing the best in everything”.

Ms Fang, who was travelling alone in Spain, had left Singapore on April 4 and was due to return on April 12. She became uncontactable on April 10.

She was single, and lived with her father and younger brother.

The family found out she had left her hotel room on April 9 and did not return. Her belongings were still in the room. Ms Fang, 39, had told her family that she might be meeting a friend in Spain, but they did not know the person’s identity.

Her body was found on April 10 in a lorry park in Abanilla, a municipality in the Murcia region, around 150km away – or about two hours’ drive – from her hotel in Xabia, where she was said to have been last seen alive. Abanilla is in the south-east of Spain and about a four-hour drive from the capital Madrid.

A Singaporean man has been arrested by the Spanish police.

Ms Fang joined DP Architects on Oct 13, 2008, and left the firm on June 21, 2012. She had been an architectural assistant, and one of the projects she worked on was Universal Studios Singapore in Resorts World Sentosa.

DP Architects’ other projects in Singapore include Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay and the Singapore Sports Hub.

DP Architects senior associate Rully Adrian, who also worked with Ms Fang, said: “Audrey was a very cheerful and loving colleague who was always there to brighten everyone’s day with her positivity and warmth. 

“Her legacy of love and cheer will continue to inspire us all.”

Ms Koh Sock Mui, an architect who left DP Architects in 2010, said she had worked closely with Ms Fang on the Far Far Away project in Universal Studios Singapore.

She said: “I was very glad to have worked with her. She was level-headed, cheerful and helpful – a colleague everyone would be fortunate to have.”

Ms Koh said she plans to offer her condolences at Ms Fang’s wake and bid her farewell.

“I am very shocked to find out what happened,” she said.

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.