Therapist actions and Ecuador trip scrutinized in Isak Andic homicide investigation
A court in Martorell is examining the role of family therapist Maria Julia Lüderwaldt and a missing phone in Ecuador following the fatal fall of Mango founder Isak Andic.
The investigation into Isak Andic's death
The judicial investigation into the death of Mango founder Isak Andic continues in the court of Martorell in Barcelona. Andic died on 14 December 2024 after falling down a ravine along the Camí de les Feixades trail in Montserrat. His son, Jonathan Andic, faces a homicide investigation and remains on provisional release after posting bail of one million euros. Investigators have focused on the role of Maria Julia Lüderwaldt, an unregistered family therapist introduced to the Andic household by Isak Andic's former partner, former professional golfer Estefanía Knuth. Lüderwaldt mediated between father and son, and she testified as a witness on 30 June 2026 without any official change to her legal status.
Ravine scouting and the Montserrat trail
Court proceedings revealed that Lüderwaldt walked the Montserrat path thirteen days before the fatal incident alongside Johanna, a British English teacher and mountain enthusiast. The two women surveyed the terrain specifically to locate ravines along the route. Six days later, Johanna returned to guide Jonathan Andic along the same trail, his first visit to the location. Prior to that hike, Lüderwaldt sent an audio message instructing Johanna to point out the danger spots they had mapped together. Two days after that walk, Jonathan invited his father for a private hike described as lasting just over thirty minutes. The defense maintains that the outing was improvised following the cancellation of an earlier appointment.
- Maria Julia Lüderwaldt and collaborator Johanna scout the Montserrat trail to locate ravines
- Johanna guides Jonathan Andic along the path after receiving Lüderwaldt's audio reminder
- Jonathan Andic invites Isak Andic on a private 30-minute hike in Montserrat
- Isak Andic dies after falling down a ravine along the Camí de les Feixades
- Jonathan Andic arrives in Quito, Ecuador, on a two-day trip
- Jonathan Andic buys a new phone and SIM card in Quito after reporting his handset stolen
- Jonathan Andic departs Ecuador and returns to Spain
- Lüderwaldt testifies as a witness before the court in Martorell
- Mossos d'Esquadra interview Jonathan Andic's Quito driver by telephone
Scrutiny over the Ecuador journey
Magistrates are examining a rapid trip Jonathan Andic made to Quito, Ecuador, between 24 and 26 March 2025. The investigating judge described the disappearance of Andic's mobile phone during that journey as suspicious, noting that it prevented the recovery of call and message records from the period surrounding his father's death. The travel coincided with public media reports that the judicial inquiry into the death was reopening.
The dates of the disappearance of the old terminal coincide with the information given by the media about the reopening of the judicial file.
The defense argued that Andic traveled to South America to promote a book by Lüderwaldt outlining her seven chronologies method, a therapeutic approach lacking empirical scientific support.
Driver testimony and corporate device logs
Catalan police (Mossos d'Esquadra) contacted a driver on 28 July 2026 who had transported Andic in Quito and now lives in Madrid. The driver stated that he picked Andic up from Quito airport on 24 March 2025 and took him to a hotel in the historic centre. On the morning of 25 March, Andic reported that his phone was stolen and asked to be taken to purchase a new device and a SIM card. Before returning to the airport, Andic informed the driver that the replacement phone did not work and could not place calls. Meanwhile, records provided to police by Mango's cybersecurity department indicated that Jonathan Andic replaced his phone four times since 2021, matching the routine biannual replacement cycle for company executives.
