Video of suspected killer of Singaporean woman in Spain released; Spanish police cite possible romantic link between 2

MADRID — A Singaporean man has been remanded after appearing in court in Spain on April 19 in connection with the death of Singaporean architect Audrey Fang, who had gone missing last week while on holiday and was found with multiple stab wounds.

The 43-year-old suspect, who has not been named, as is the custom in Spain, appeared in a court in Murcia in south-eastern Spain.

He was photographed being led by two Spanish Civil Guard officers into court, in handcuffs.

Fang's body was found with signs of an assault with a "bladed weapon", the Spanish Civil Guard told The Straits Times.

Fang, 39, was reportedly stabbed more than 30 times.

The court magistrate on April 19 said that her body can be returned to her family for repatriation to Singapore. An autopsy was completed by forensic scientists, but the results have not been made public.

Her body was found on April 10 at a lorry park in Abanilla, a municipality in the Murcia region, around 150km away or about two hours' drive from her hotel in Xabia, also in south-eastern Spain, where she was seen alive on April 9 at 8.45pm on closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras.

The Civil Guard, which is one of Spain's two national police forces, said on April 19: "Police collected information and images from CCTV cameras at the hotel and found out that she was picked up by a vehicle when she left the hotel the day before her death."

The footage was too dark to get precise information about the car, but the police managed to identify the make and model by analysing its size and design details.

By tracing the car's route, the police were able to determine that it had started its journey at a carpark near a hotel in Alicante, a city in south-eastern Spain.

"From there, the car travelled to the hotel in Xabia and later to the town of Abanilla," the Civil Guard said.

"Once this was established, a surveillance operation was set up, which culminated in the arrest of the suspect in his hotel room in Alicante on April 16. Murder squad detectives arrested a 43-year-old man from Singapore."

The suspect was later handed over to the police in Murcia.

A spokeswoman for the Civil Guard told ST: "As part of the investigation, he was traced via a car which he was renting."

She added: "We know that the suspect may have known Ms Fang and they may have been in a romantic relationship.

"We are still investigating the motive for this killing. There are various possible motives, which could be economic or a case of domestic violence."

In a post on social media platform X, the Spanish Civil Guard said CCTV footage showed Fang was picked up by a vehicle when she left her hotel the day before her death.

#OperacionesGC I Detenido el presunto autor del homicidio de una mujer en Abanilla (#Murcia)

➡️El cuerpo sin vida de la mujer, natural de Singapur, fue localizado el pasado día 10 de abril en una explanada próxima al estacionamiento de un restaurante

➡️Los investigadores… pic.twitter.com/zN8BBkWqPv

— Guardia Civil (@guardiacivil) April 19, 2024

In Spain, formal charges in criminal cases are placed only much later, once a magistrate has carried out an investigation. A trial could then take place up to a year later.

In this case, the magistrate has imposed a secrecy order on the investigation, which is normal in Spain.

Fang's family identified her body at a morgue in Murcia on April 18. Local media published photographs of relatives crying outside the morgue.

Her brother, cousin and a family friend had travelled to Spain earlier to trace her whereabouts.

Fang had travelled alone to Xabia on April 4.

It was not her first solo trip and she had told her family that she might be meeting a friend in Spain, but they did not know the person's identity.

Hotel staff alerted the authorities on April 9 when they discovered her belongings in her room, but she had not returned, the Spanish newspaper La Verdad de Murcia reported.

Fang's family lodged a report on April 11 with Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) after she became uncontactable from April 10.

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She was supposed to return on April 12, flying home from Barcelona.

Her brother made a police report that day when she did not show up at Changi Airport, where he had gone to pick her up, only to find out that she did not board her return flight.

Fang, who was single, lived with her father and younger brother. She was due to start a new job in May after a trip to Japan with her aunt and cousin at the end of April.

Her body was discovered on April 10 by a man who was on his way to have breakfast at a restaurant located along a highway. However, at the time, it could not be identified.

On April 17, the Civil Guard said that the body was Fang's.

In response to queries, an MFA spokesperson said on April 18: "Singapore's honorary consulate-general (HCG) in Madrid has been in contact with the local authorities regarding the case of Ms Audrey Fang.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not in a position to comment on the case as investigations are ongoing. MFA and the HCG have been providing consular assistance and support to Ms Fang's family. We express our deepest condolences to the family."

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