Towards justice: Investigators carrying out a search at the suspect’s hotel room in Alicante, Spain. (Inset) Fang. — Photos courtesy of Guardia Civil’s X profile
The man allegedly linked to the murder of Singaporean architect Audrey Fang regularly travelled overseas for business and to attend dance parties, said those familiar with him.
Mitchell Ong was identified on Saturday by Spanish media as a suspect in the case.
An acquaintance, who declined to be identified, said he knew that Ong, 43, often travelled overseas.
“He was nice during the interactions I had with him... I recall he likes to travel for business and raves,” he said.
A check on Ong’s Instagram account showed that he had attended several music festivals abroad. Between 2022 and 2024, he also travelled to different parts of Europe.
In a more recent post, he shared that he was in Alicante on April 4, the same day Fang travelled alone to Xabia, which is about 80km away.
Ong was arrested in his hotel room in Alicante on April 16.
Another acquaintance of Ong, who also frequented the same gym, said the suspect had previously told him that he was working in the financial industry.
He recalled Ong being a bit of an “awkward” person who sported expensive sneakers.
“I would say he cared a lot about what he was wearing,” added the man.
A business colleague of Ong said they got to know each other about 15 years ago when he started providing marketing services to the suspect.
The man, who is in his 30s, said: “Generally, he was a nice person to work with, so I was quite shocked when I read the news.
“We stopped talking just before the pandemic, but I remember him as always being prompt with payments.”
However, a former director at the IT store had a different experience working with Ong.
The foreign national, who wanted to be known as John, said he and Ong became business partners when they started an IT store. Within a year, John, 36, said their business relationship had soured.
Before returning to his home country, John claimed Ong threatened that he would “make some problem” for John if he ever returned to Singapore.
“He is ambitious and organised, but the bad thing about him is his temper,” John added.
Ong previously worked as a financial services consultant from 2014 to 2019, and a financial adviser from 2011 to 2013.
Spanish media La Verdad de Murcia, quoting sources close to the investigation, said on April 20 that an “economic motive” may be behind the murder. It said Fang had made some investments, with recent transfers to an unidentified third person.
It added that officers from the Murcia Judicial Police, who searched the suspect’s hotel room, found Fang’s mobile phone among his possessions.
Fang, 39, went missing while on holiday in Xabia, in south-eastern Spain. She was seen alive on April 9 at 8.45pm local time on closed-circuit television cameras.
Her body was found the next day at a lorry park around 150km away, or about two hours’ drive from her hotel.
She was reportedly stabbed more than 30 times. — The Straits Times/ANN
