In a shocking case, the 55th woman and her two children have died by known or presumed male violence in Sydney on 17th October 2016. This is the 9th case of adult female death by known or presumed male violence in October of 2016 alone.
Maria Claudia Lutz, her husband Fernando Manrique, their children Elisa (11) and Martin (10), and the family dog were found gassed in their family home which appears to have been modified for the purpose by Mr Manrique over the weekend, modifications which would have apparently required significant planning..
Some sources report that Maria was potentially preparing to divorce Fernando or preparing to return to Colombia with the children to be close to family supports in Colombia given the specific high needs of both children. Mr Manrique apparently travelled extensively for work leaving Ms Lutz with sole responsibility for caring for their children in his absence, both of whom had high needs.
Police were apparently alerted after Maria and the children failed to attend school.
Our thoughts and condolences go to the family’s extended family & friends.
News links:
- http://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/news/family-of-four-found-dead-inside-sydney-northern-beaches-home/news-story/0230c9d034dcfa40b0929190ff0e7e23
- http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-17/four-people-found-dead-in-home-in-davidson/7938744
- http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/man-woman-and-two-children-found-dead-in-davidson-in-sydneys-north-20161017-gs3wyo.html
- http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/two-children-and-two-adults-found-dead-in-davidson-home/news-story/c9bec8df4fd2cb26b3d912aecdd16419
- https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/32921929/community-left-in-shock-as-a-family-of-four-are-found-dead-in-their-sydney-home/#page1
- http://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/news/davidson-deaths-family-gassed-in-suspected-murder-suicide/news-story/68018a45df3e308f0a703de8cd964e2e
- http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/elaborate-gas-setup-uncovered-after-suspected-murder-suicide-of-sydney-family-20161018-gs560r.html
Background:
The summary of women killed in 2016 listed by sex of known or presumed perpetrator is located here. Unsolved cases of the death or disappearance of women are also listed on this page.
At the time of posting, 92% of the alleged killers of women in Australia in 2016 were male (61 of the total 66 alleged perpetrators), with 12 missing or dead women on the watch list. 95% of women were killed, where known, by male perpetrators (or male and female perpetrators).
The count of women killed by known or suspected male violence in a Australia is jointly undertaken by Reclaim the Night Perth and Women Shout Out Australia.
We report the deaths of women as accurately as possible, updating these records as we are able to. If we have misreported any facts of this case, please contact us. We do not wish to affect any future court actions and will not intentionally publish posts or comments which do this.
Please bear in mind cultural sensitivities when sharing these reports. Where it is not culturally or legally appropriate to do so, we will not report the victim’s name.
If you have any additional information about women killed by male violence in Australia in 2016, please email us at wimms@womenshoutoutaustralia.com or via the facebook pages of Reclaim the Night Perth or Women Shout Out Australia.
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