CNA – A Singaporean man suspected of killing a Singaporean woman in Spain was identified on Saturday as Mitchell Ong.
The 43-year-old, who appeared in court on Friday, was named by Spanish news outlet La Verdad de Murcia.
Two other Spanish media outlets, La Opinión de Murcia and Levante El Mercantil Valenciano, have identified the Singaporean man with his initials “OM”.
Singaporean woman Audrey Fang, 39, was found dead with 30 stab wounds near a parking area for lorries in Abanilla, Spain, on April 10.
Ong was arrested in Alicante on April 16.
According to Levante El Mercantil Valenciano, the police have proven that both Fang’s and Ong’s mobile phones were together in Abanilla on the day of her death.
She was not sexually assaulted, according to the report.
It was added that Fang and the suspect had known each other for many years and that there might have been an “economic motive” for the killing. She had reportedly transferred money to an unidentified third person.
Fang’s family are in Cieza and their lawyer said they have identified her body. The judge agreed to their lawyer’s request for the accused to be remanded in custody while investigations continue.
The suspect was not offered bail, news outlet La Opinion de Murcia reported.
On Friday, Spain’s Civil Guard released footage of a vehicle that had picked up Fang. It also showed Ong being taken to a hotel room that investigators were searching.
Fang arrived in Spain on April 4 for a solo trip and was due to return to Singapore on April 12.
She reportedly went missing after leaving her hotel room on April 9 at around 8.45pm. Her belongings were left in the luxury hotel in Javea, a town on Spain’s eastern coast.
Her body was found around 150 kilometres away the next day but was only identified on April 17.
A preliminary autopsy report determined that knife wounds and head trauma were the cause of Fang’s death, La Verdad de Murcia reported.
