One of two DNA profiles found on the body of a Singaporean woman killed in Spain in April 2024 has been linked by Spanish experts to the only suspect, a Singaporean man.
Two male DNA profiles were earlier found on Ms Audrey Fang’s body, and Spain’s National Institute of Toxicology and Forensic Science found that one of them matches the paternal lineage of suspect Mitchell Ong, news outlet La Opinion de Murcia reported on June 18.
The match was for the Y-chromosome haplotype, which is a set of genetic markers passed directly from father to son.
The second DNA profile has no links with Ong’s DNA.
Ong’s lawyer Maria Jesus Ruiz de Castaneda said the findings cannot be used to identify a person conclusively, as the genetic marker is shared with all male members of Ong’s paternal lineage.
She added that the finding “reinforces the need to expand the investigation to include other possible individuals”.
“Mitchell Ong maintains his innocence, fully trusts the work of the Spanish justice system, and will continue to collaborate in all necessary to clarify the truth,” she said.
Ong, 43, was arrested in Spain in April 2024 after Ms Fang’s body was found with multiple stab wounds earlier that month in the town of Abanilla.
Ms Fang, an architect, left Singapore on April 4 to travel alone to Xabia, in Spain’s Valencia region. She was supposed to return eight days later but became uncontactable on April 10.
The 39-year-old died from knife wounds and head trauma.
DNA from two men was found on her clothes, La Opinion reported in March, raising the possibility that more than one person was involved in her death.
Ong, who was previously an insurance agent and a financial expert, was also found to be nominated as the sole beneficiary of Ms Fang’s Central Provident Fund savings, with the accounts reportedly containing $498,000.
Fatimah Mujibah for The Straits Times
