The body of a Singaporean woman, who went missing while on holiday in Spain, has been found, but it took authorities there close to a week to confirm her identity.

This is according to Spanish media El Español on Apr. 17, which shed some light on the delays surrounding the positive identification of Singaporean, Audrey Fang, 39.

Difficulties in identification

She reportedly went missing on Apr. 9 (Spain time).

Her body, which allegedly had 30 stab wounds, was discovered on Apr. 10 morning (Spain time), it was reported.

She was apparently not identified until Apr. 17 (Spain time).

Police apparently wrongly assumed Fang was a sex worker due to the location that her body was found, which was about 25km from two locations where sex workers plied their trade.

Moreover, forensic evidence yielded few clues to lead to a positive identification.

Another Spanish media Olive Press initially reported that Fang's body was found some 150km away from where she was last seen alive, in a lorry park at Abanilla in the Murcia region.

This meant that she was nowhere near any personal artefacts that she had left behind.

The Singaporean woman was reportedly vacationing in Spain alone before tragedy struck.

Another Spanish media outlet La Verdad reported that it took "six days" for investigators to identify and arrest the suspect.

What happened

The suspect is said to be a Singaporean man, 40, and he is currently in Spanish police custody.

Fang had been on a solo trip in Xàbia, Valencia, and was staying at a luxury hotel.

She was believed to have been making her way to breakfast at a restaurant next to the RM-422 Fortuna-Pinoso road before her death.

She had apparently told some acquaintances that she was going to meet a person she knew in Spain, but they were not aware of who it was.

Her family last spoke to her on Tuesday, Apr. 10 (Singapore time).

She was last spotted walking out of the hotel at around 8:45pm with her personal belongings still in her room.

She was supposed to fly back to Singapore from Barcelona a couple of days later, but did not make the journey.

Her family filed a police report and also made contact with Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs when Fang failed to board the plane and did not arrive back home on April 12 as scheduled.

Clothing taken for analysis

According to El Español, Fang's body was found bloodied, on a terrace of almond trees, next to the parking lot of the Venta Los Collares de Abanilla, at 7:47am on Apr. 10 (Spain time).

El Español also reported that the discovery was made by the chief inspector of the Yecla National Police.

A police source told the paper that he was on his way to work at the police station when he saw what looked like a body and turned his car around to check.

When he reached the field, he saw that the woman had several blows to her face, it was also reported.

She also apparently had a fatal cut on her abdomen.

El Español also shared a video of the scene of the crime.

According to La Verdad, police undertook a "meticulous inspection" of the area. 

La Verdad reported that near the body was a "grey jacket" and "red shoes with glitter", which police took for laboratory analysis.

They also took "biological samples" from the blood on the ground, and examined "footprints" and "tyre tracks" from a car.

Assumed she was a sex worker

According to El Español, the victim was found without "neither a purse or a wallet nor any document that could help identify her".

Investigators then considered that she could have been a sex worker, given that she was not far from "two spots of sex work", namely "al Coto Cuadros" and "al Cabezo de Torres".

El Español also spoke to a non-governmental organisation in the area that specialises in aiding sex workers, which told the paper that police had asked workers there if they had noticed a "missing colleague".

However, the investigations apparently led to a dead end.

The paper also claimed that ongoing forensic investigations at the time yielded very "few clues" beyond the fact that the "victim was Asian".

Social media posts apparently provided lead

The paper reported that it was social media posts about the disappearance of a Singaporean named "Audrey Fang" that provided Spanish investigators a lead.

A post by a user named Pat Chan on Facebook was cited by the paper and translated to Spanish.

The social media post sought information on Fang's whereabouts.

The paper then noted an interview given by Fang's brother, Benjamin, to The New Paper and published on Apr. 17 (Singapore time), which reported that the woman "was travelling alone" and was apparently "going to meet a friend".

The posts appeared to have tipped investigators off as to the identity of the body they had discovered.

The Spanish authorities confirmed her identity the next day.

Arrest made

El Español also reported that a spokesperson for Guardia Civil later confirmed that the suspect of the murder was another Singaporean citizen, 40, with no prior criminal record.

The suspect was detained by the Guardia Civil in Alicante province on Apr. 17 and transferred to Murcia.

According to The Straits Times, the suspect was staying in a hotel in Alicante at the time of arrest.

According to Olive Press, the suspect will likely be brought before a judge sometime later this week.

El Español also noted that the police have since not provided any information clarifying the motive of the accused, or the relationship between the accused and the victim.

MFA response

In response to media queries, an MFA spokesperson told Mothership 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."

Top photo from Xabia.com and El Español