Father asked euthanasia group 'how to die' before gassing family in murder-suicide
The Sydney father who gassed himself, his wife and his two autistic children in their home, reportedly sought advice from a euthanasia group on how to die peacefully.
Fernando Manrique contacted Exit International, a voluntary euthanasia organisation founded by Dr Philip Nitschke, before installing a network of gas pipes in the roof of their Davidson home, according to The Australian.
After failing to show up at work and school, police found the bodies of Manrique, 44, his wife Maria Claudia Lutz, 43, daughter Elisa, 11, and son Martin, 10, in their house.
The family dog was also found dead.
Dr Nitschke said the 44-year-old Colombian “had some contact” with his team and was in possession of the group’s handbook on euthanasia, The Peaceful Pill.
In the guide, one chapter explains the use of carbon monoxide as a means of suicide.
“They knew about carbon monoxide. But it wasn’t the case that they were coming to meetings,” Dr Nitschke told The Australian.
“The surprise to us was that given this family is from Bogota, which is one of the few places in the world where you can buy suicide drugs over the counter, it’s a surprise that he used carbon monoxide,” he said.
“But they knew about carbon monoxide, so on the other hand it looks like somebody went to a great deal of trouble to make sure the death was peaceful.”
Police seized gas canisters found at the home on Sir Thomas Mitchell Drive where they believe the deaths had been organised.
“There was a lot of pre-planning that went into this,” a police source told The Daily Telegraph.
Neighbours reported seeing Manrique working on the roof of his home two days before the deaths.
Residents of the quiet northern Sydney suburb said he was a businessman, and a friendly, doting father.
They described Mrs Lutz as a protective mother, who had spoken of the hardships of raising two children with non-verbal autism.
Both Elisa and Martin were deaf and mute, and she reportedly found the pressure of caring for her children, alongside being in a country away from her family, difficult to manage.
After being promoted to Executive Director of engineering company Drake Business Services in May 2015, Manrique travelled away from home frequently, leaving Mrs Lutz struggling to raise the kids on her own.
The couple moved to Australia in 2005, but she reportedly announced weeks before her death that she wanted to return to Colombia to be close to her family.
Tributes have flooded in from friends, family and neighbours, with the children’s’ school offering to display a gallery of Martin and Elisa’s artwork.
“We are all struggling to come to grips with this profound tragedy. Elisa, Martin and Maria have been such a source of inspiration for us all at St Lucy’s over the years,” the school wrote on their Facebook page.
“Elisa and Martin were bright, creative, wonderful children with uniquely beautiful personalities. They were adored by their Mum!”
It's unknown if Mrs Lutz was aware of her husband’s plans to gas the family.
