S’porean Killed in Spain Had Bought Insurance Policy from Suspect

By
Nadia Irdina
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A few days ago, it was reported that a pair of $1,360 shoes became significant evidence for the murder of a Singaporean woman in Spain, Ms Audrey Fang Di Rou, 39.

On 19 Apr, the suspect, Mitchell Ong, 43, appeared in court after more evidence against him surfaced.

While Ong was in police custody, Spanish news outlets, La Verdad and Levante El Mercantil Valenciano reported of possible “economic motive” to the murder – outlining a potential investment fraud.

Ms Audrey Fang had finally returned home after more than two weeks of being missing while on a solo trip to Spain. Her family held a wake in Petir Road on 27 Apr.

Family Went Through Belongings

Ms Fang’s brother, Mr Benjaming Fang, told The Straits Times that they still have unanswered questions about the horrific incident in Spain despite having some respite that they could send her off properly.

Ms Fang was found with 30 stab wounds with other injuries near an area for lorries to park, in the town of Abanilla on 10 Apr. She was located suspiciously far from her hotel – 150km away.

To better understand what might have happened and explore Ms Fang’s connection with the suspect, the family reportedly went through her belongings.

Suspect Was Woman’s Insurance Agent, She Had Bought A Policy From Him

As her family looked through her belongings, they had found letters from Hong Kong-based multinational insurer, AIA.

In the letter, they found the insurance agent’s name, Ong Cheong Yi. This is the suspect’s Chinese name, according to The Straits Times.

Mr Fang and their cousin, Ms See, were shocked after drawing the connection that Mr Ong Cheong Yi and Mr Mitchell Ong are the same person.

The letter provided some important information and could lead to the establishment of an “economic motive”.

It showed that Ms Fang had bought two investment-linked policies from AIA from the suspect in Aug 2015. They were the $3,000 AIA Family First Protect Plan and the $50,000 AIA Asset Builder policies.

Suspect’s Work In Finance and Investment 

In a now-defunct LinkedIn profile, he was listed as a financial planner at Manulife Singapore from 2011 to 2013 before joining AIA from 2014 to 2019.

The Straits Times reported that Mr Ong used aliases Mitch and Mitchell for official purposes and for social media posts, but had registered his Chinese name for his marriage in 2012. Ong Cheong Yi also used this name in school.

Ong landed himself in Spain after investing in multiple co-living spaces with a former schoolmate.

They offered short-, medium- and long-term rentals in Alicante for travellers and professionals to co-live in Spain.

Moreover, Ong was found to be a private investor in electronic dance music and cryptocurrency in 2017, and legal records showed that Ong was a party in a $262,380.82 lawsuit with now-defunct insurance and art and graphic design firm Neo General, in 2021.

Family is Seeking Closure, Need More Answers

The police in Spain are still trying to establish a motive and results from the autopsy have yet to be made public.

Mr Fang shared with ST that the family is still unable to understand the situation and the brutal nature of the attack on Ms Fang.

Aside from the multiple stab wounds, Ms Fang reportedly suffered from a bad punch in the face that resulted in her cracked skull and intense bruising and swelling of her head.

Relatives described that her loss had been felt intensely, given that she was close to everyone, including her colleagues. Her siblings looked to her as their “big sister”.

Mr Fang indicated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Singapore had greatly helped locate and return Ms Fang home, but hopes that the police can investigate thoroughly to give the family closure.

Mr Fang said that he is waiting for the suspect to give more information.

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Nadia Irdina