Fernando Manrique Suspected Of Gassing His Wife & 2 Disabled Kids In Murder/ Suicide In Sydney

[Momzilla]

Husband Fernando Manrique suspected of killing his wife Maria Claudia Lutz & their children Martin & Elisa

Even the family dog wasn't spared in murder/suicide

Family of 4 dead in murder/suicide in Sydney neighborhood

A family of four, including two children with "significant disabilities", has been found dead in a home in Sydney's north, in what police have described as a "tragic" and "horrific" event.

Officers attended the home on Sir Thomas Mitchell Drive at Davidson about 11:20am on Monday following reports concerning the occupants' welfare.

...officers found a 43-year-old female, a 44-year-old male, a 10-year-old boy and an 11-year-old girl dead at the home.

The family has been identified as Colombian nationals Maria Claudia Lutz and Fernando Manrique, and their children Elisa and Martin.

Superintendent Darcysaid "a large dog" was also found dead at the house.
...

The ABC understands the children had autism.

"It's extremely confronting, the officers — we consistently have these concern for welfare cases, and unfortunately in some cases this is what the police are confronted with," Superintendent Darcy said.

"We have now commenced a thorough investigation, homicide squad are here with us, forensic services group are here.

"And we're gradually working our way through a very tragic circumstance to get to the bottom of it."

He said neither of the adults were known to police.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-17/four-people-found-dead-in-home-in-davidson/7938744

Husband built elaborate delivery system for deadly gas that would kill his family

Neighbours who saw him on the roof of the Davidson home with power tools over the weekend had no idea he was rigging up what has been described as an elaborate system to pump gas into the rooms.

Detectives are investigating the source of the poison found in gas canisters as family members in their home city of Bogota, Colombia, revealed the couple was on the verge of divorce.
...
"He was cutting and banging and making all sorts of noise and pulling up tiles but I don’t really know what he was doing.” BOC gas employees yesterday inspected the property which was rigged throughout the roof to deliver the deadly fumes in what a police source described as an “extensive, elaborate and well planned” operation.

While police are leaning towards the fact that the Drake Business Logistics company executive acted alone, they have not been able to rule out the possibility of a murder-suicide pact with his wife.
...

http://www.wsfm.com.au/newsroom/how-davidson-father-built-gas-chamber-to-poison-his-family/


Mum 'found it impossible to cope'

According to the Daily Telegraph, those close to the family believe the demands of motherhood with two intellectually disabled children may have become too much for Ms Lutz. The young siblings' severe autism meant they were unable to speak.

Neighbours were reported yesterday as saying that Ms Lutz - a dedicated volunteer and fundraiser - and her partner waged a parenting battle that left her with a heavy heart and contemplating how to cope.
...

http://m.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11730547

So was it dad, mom or both who planned this tragedy?

Most news sources are reporting that the husband is the lone culprit & police have said they do not believe the wife was aware of the husband's plan to gas the family.

However, there are also articles that claim the mother was the person who was stressed & unable to cope with their disabled children (the children are reported to have been severely autistic & unable to speak)

And then there are reports that the couple, who may have been on the verge of divorce, planned the murder/suicide together???

So I've included articles that support each of the theories-- I don't know if they'll ever really know the truth?

 

[Anubis]

Ms Lutz - a dedicated volunteer and fundraiser - and her partner waged a parenting battle that left her with a heavy heart and contemplating how to cope.

I read this as she was unable to cope with battling her husband over parenting practices and had planned to leave. I really hope it wasn't a case of "didn't have perfect kids, so it's fine to wipe them out".

 

[Momzilla]

It just seems strange that if the wife was in on the murder/suicide plot, why would the husband bother to hook up a hidden system of pipes to deliver the odorless gas? (and it's been confirmed that he is the one who ordered the tanks of carbon monoxide & was also seen by neighbors cutting into the roof)

If the wife was in on it, why wouldn't they just stand with the disabled children in the garage & run the car or open the CO tanks?

The only other thing I can think is maybe they thought, by hiding the pipes in the ceiling, they could also hide the fact that this was a murder/suicide & not just an accident?

It's all very sad & strange?

 

[sarahdownunder]

My take is that the marriage was a mess, the Mum seemed to have taken on an alarmingly large number of responsibilities and Dad was the financial earner who had very different ideas to Mum on how to care for the kids.

I've read that she begged her husband for the family to go back to Colombia to get better help for the kids. Now those kids seemed to be very high needs - I'm not sure how Colombia is an improvement on a developed Western nation for the kind of care they needed - but I freely admit, I know very little about Colombia.

My guess is that both parents were in on it. How could the mother not think something was odd as to why her husband suddenly started building an elaborate construction project in and on their home?

Surprisingly, I find I have zero outrage here. I just feel so damn sorry for both parents.

A happy marriage that started out so well has slowly disintegrated. Its not the kids' fault for being born with low functioning autism. Not at all. But I can only imagine how damn hard a life it must have been to raise them - knowing they'd never be independent and self capable in society, with all the difficulties and dramas that come with raising heavily autistic children.

Its easy to sit back and see the mistakes, sitting in my stupid armchair. They clearly had money. She needed a part time carer assistant to help her with those kids. Or they needed to put the kids in a home. The parents clearly needed more respite themselves - and marriage counselling to try and repair the ruined foundation of their family. Mum shouldn't have taken on so many 'I'm the perfect parent' responsibilities too. With regards to their differing notions on how to raise the kids, Dad needed to understand that while he can view the whole situation regarding their care and future with logic and practical sensibility's, Mum was probably focusing on the situation like most Mum's - completely from that biological mothering instinct. Protective, loving - emotional. Emotional isn't always rational. And the two collide bitterly.

Now, let me be clear. Absolutely none of these points are being mentioned in order to blame the parents. Its just an observation without emotion and with objectivity, on the outside looking in. I will never judge either parent in this case. I only have empathy and sympathy for them.

I don't think, in all honesty, I'd cope with raising 2 heavily autistic kids. I had a family member who was low functioning Downs Syndrome. She was the most awesome person on the planet! My grandparents (her parents) put her in a home when she turned 13. A damn good one. And she was sincerely happy. She visited all of us, round Robin style staying for as long as she wanted each time.

Care homes are not demonic places. You have to pick well though. And these boys would have ended up in a care home eventually anyway as they weren't capable of living in and amongst society, completely self sufficient and independent. Personally, due to my family experiences, I support putting a child like this, in a care home. There's no shame in it. You haven't failed as a parent by doing it. You're ensuring your child's happiness and lifelong safety and comfort.

I wish they'd done this, instead of taking the path that they did, by trying to do it all themselves and then ultimately cracking and wiping out every single member of the family.

Wherever their souls are, may they be together and at peace.

 

[paintedred]

Does a disabled child's life matter less than non disabled ? Why do people offer sympathy to child killers when their children are special needs? Murder is murder and a man who annihilates his family is a murdering cunt and doesn't get one ounce of my sympathy .
My sympathy goes go the innocent children .
They're not injured dogs to be put out of their misery . If you can't cope then give them up . A child is a child and no one should excuse a child killer just because their child is autistic.
A life is a life and worth as much as any other.
I'm in a neurodiverse family and it's not the easiest but my kids are alive and deserve to be . Disability on part of the child shouldn't excuse murder .

Just for interest in case anyone wants to see a different side to the poor old parents spin-
https://briannonlee.com/2016/10/19/autistic-children-murdered/

 

[Momzilla]

The more info that is being released, the more confusing this case becomes. The general consensus still seems to be that the husband was the sole perpatrator of the gassing & his wife was not in on the plot. But every new report that comes out talks about her mental state as being stressed & on the verge of breakdown.

Apparently she was basically raising her 2 autistic children alone, with her husband constantly travelling for work. She was desperate to return to Columbia to be with family, but her husband refused- reportedly afraid she would never return to him. Friends report the marriage was headed towards divorce.

The mom seemed to have a supportive community of friends through her childrens' special needs school & she was receiving at least some help through 'family services' (it's reported she would call several times per day requesting extra appointments)
Also, the family apparently had money, so why she wouldn't hire a caretaker is unknown.

By all accoounts mom was a depressed, stressed, woman on the edge & dad was a detatched, absentee husband & father. So even though the reported motive is stress from 2 disabled kids pushing this man to murder, I'm wondering if that's not the case at all-- considering he was barely there, how much stress could the kids have posed for him?

Imo, a more likely motive in this scenario is that the husband knew his marriage was in trouble & he was afraid his wife would move back to Columbia, taking his children with her. It's a classic 'If I can't have them, nobody will'!

 

[mybum62]

Thats why she wanted to go back to Columbia...she probably had extended family that would have helped her with the kids. The father may have refused to allow her the funds to hire a caretaker. Just a thought.