Father turned house into ‘gas chamber’ to kill wife, autistic children, pet dog and himself in suspected murder-suicide
Fernando Manrique, 44, rigged up an elaborate system of pipes to pump deadly fumes into the rooms below
A HIGH-flying technology executive turned his house into a "gas chamber" to kill his wife and their severely autistic children in a suspected murder-suicide, police believe.
Neighbours who saw Fernando Manrique working on the roof with power tools over the weekend had no idea he was rigging up an elaborate network of pipes to pump poison gas into the rooms below.
His wife Maria Claudia Lutz, 43, was found dead in one room with their daughter Elissa, 11, while their son Martin, ten, was found in another room alone.
Both children were severely autistic - and the mother is said to have been fiercely protective of them.
Engineer and technology expert Manrique, 44, was found dead in another room of the house he built 11 years ago in Davidson, near Sydney, Australia.
The family’s pet dog was also found lying dead.
Detectives are investigating the source of the poison found in gas canisters used in the “extensive, elaborate and well planned” operation.
Police are understood to believe Manrique acted alone but have not ruled out the possibility of a murder-suicide pact with his wife.
Family members in Colombia said their relationship was “at times very tense due to the stress of bringing-up the children" and reports said they had been on the brink of a divorce.
A police source said: “We may never know whether she knew what was happening, we just don’t know."
Neighbours knew Manrique as a doting dad and a friendly face who chatted with other parents on trips with his kids to the park.
Maria was last seen on Friday when she picked up the children from school and enjoyed a coffee with other mothers.
The bodies were found on Monday morning when staff at St Lucy’s Catholic School alerted police that the children had not arrived for lessons.
Neighbour Ofik Thomassian, 72, watched Mr Manrique working on the roof on Saturday.
He said: “He was right up on the roof replacing tiles and using power tools of sorts.
“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."
He said Ms Lutz was very protective of her children, adding: “She would lead them one at a time into the car, lock the door, and return to the house for the next child.
RELATED STORIES
"She looked after them but I have to say she never looked happy.
"She always had a very serious look on her face. Thinking back now, she looked like she was in pain.
"She probably had been for a very long time."
Maria’s grief-stricken sister Ana Lutz paid tribute on Facebook saying: “No one can say anything different than you being a warrior, always fighting for everyone!
“My cute doll … One more angel in heaven, an angel given to their children, life!!”
Close friend Peta Rostirola described Maria as “selfless” in the battles she fought raising autistic children, adding: “You faced life head on with all the challenges it threw.”
Flowers were placed by locals outside the house as police removed evidence including computers, which may reveal the dad searched for information on deadly gases.
A spokesman said: "Police are looking at the possibility the family members died from the introduction of an airborne gas.
“It is early days in the investigation and investigators will need to wait for toxicology results and results of the post-mortems to determine cause of death.”
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368