Davidson deaths: Mother struggling with autistic children had called authorities up to nine times a day

THE “broken” mother gassed to death along with her two autistic children and husband was “severely depressed” and so desperate for help she would ring authorities nine times a day, a close friend has revealed to The Saturday Telegraph.

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THE “broken” mother gassed to death along with her two autistic children and husband was “severely depressed” and so desperate for help she would ring authorities “nine times a day”.

Maria Claudia Lutz’s marriage to husband Fernando Manrique — who police believe this week killed the family in an elaborate chemical set-up — had broken down and the pair had been barely speaking for years.

As he dealt with his personal demons by throwing himself into work, Colombian-born Maria longed to return home so she could get family help to raise 11-year-old Elisa and 10-year-old Martin.

Elisa Manrique.

Martin Manrique.

But Fernando was too scared she wouldn’t return to Australia if she left. The Saturday Telegraph understands a separation was imminent.

“He was never home and had become increasingly withdrawn, spending weeks at a time working away in Asia,” a close friend has revealed.

“In three years I met him only once. Maria was doing everything alone. How she found the time to keep the house spotless with ­everything else she was doing was beyond me.”

The 43-year-old mother was receiving less than five hours of government help each week.

The friend told The Saturday Telegraph it simply wasn’t enough.

“Maria was so anxious and depressed that if (the Family of Community and Services) called to change an appointment or cancel (then) it threw her,” they said.

Maria Lutz Pena with Elisa.

“She would ring them sometimes nine times a day to confirm they had cancelled or changed things — or to ask for extra help. She felt completely alone and was a broken woman and depressed.”

The friend said Ms Lutz was “definitely struggling with mental health”.

“The marriage had collapsed in the last years and the two of them were not speaking,” the friend said.

“She desperately wanted to go home to Colombia to be with her mum, but he wouldn’t let her and said the kids couldn’t handle the flight. In reality he knew she wouldn’t come back.

“He said he was going to set up a company next year — but it wasn’t the financial help she needed, it was physical and emotional support.”

One of many floral and written tributes to Maria Lutz left outside the house. Picture: Craig Greenhill

Police suspect Fernando, an executive director of technology and business outsourcing company Drake Business Logistics, gassed the family in a suspected murder-­suicide.

It is believed the web of pipes filtered carbon monoxide into the rooms. The 44-year-old was seen last weekend doing work on the rooftop of the home he built in Davidson.

Police broke into the home on the northern beaches at 11.40am on Monday after a worried neighbour raised the alarm when Maria did not turn up at her children’s school for canteen duty.

Her body was found in one room with their daughter, while their son was found in another, alone. Fernando was found on his own in another room.

Despite her struggles behind closed doors, and with no immediate family in Australia, Maria had built up a close network of friends in the area where the couple had lived since 2005.

She often met with a small group of mothers for coffee mornings.

Elisa was a student at St Lucy’s school nearby. Source: Facebook

They would marvel at her seemingly indomitable spirit and ability to keep a house “maniacally tidy” while grappling with sleepless nights.

She knew the names of every child at St Lucy’s, where her kids went to school, and was known as the “lovely tuckshop lady”.

As police and forensic officers continue to sift through the jigsaw puzzle of the tragic family massacre, relatives from Bogota will fly to Sydney this weekend for the grim task of identifying the bodies.

One stunned police officer involved in the case told The Saturday Telegraph: “Men cannot always be the knight in shining armour who save the family. In cases of family murders it is often the man who cracks but it has yet to be revealed what happened in this case.”

A FACS spokesman said the “tragic event” was “subject to a police investigation”. She said “it would be inappropriate” to comment further because a report was being prepared for the Coroner.

NSW Disability Services Minister John Ajaka said he was “deeply saddened” by the case.

“I extend my sincere sympathies. As the matter is being investigated by the NSW Police, with a report to be provided to the Coroner, it would be inappropriate to comment,” he said.

AUTISM: WHAT IS IT?

* Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are lifelong developmental disabilities characterised by marked difficulties in social interaction and communication, and restricted and repetitive interests and behaviours.

* The word ‘spectrum’ is used because the range and severity of the difficulties people with an ASD experience can vary widely. Aspergers Syndrome is part of the spectrum.

* About one in 100 Australians are on the autism spectrum - around 230,000 people. It is four times more common in boys than girls.

* There is no single known cause - and no cure, although early intervention in a person’s life can minimise the impact on their functioning.

* People with the condition can present with a mix of indicators, which might include inexplicable tantrums, unusual interests or attachments, unusual movements such as hand-flapping or toe-walking, extreme difficulty coping with change.

* They might be afraid of everyday sounds, find eye contact uncomfortable, respond to certain sounds but ignore a human voice and avoid social contact.

* The cliche of all people with autism being Rainman-type geniuses is not true but they can be exceptionally creative, able to solve complex problems and have outstanding memory for detail.

* Albert Einstein, Mozart, Stanley Kubrick and Andy Warhol are all thought to have lived with autism. Celebrities who have the condition include actors Daryl Hannah and Dan Akroyd, singer Susan Boyle, Courtney Love, musician Ladyhawke and American Idol singer James Durbin.