Netflix fans have disturbing theory about The Asunta Case

The Asunta Case – based on the true story of Asunta Yong Fang and her adoptive parents, Rosario Porto and Alfonso Basterra – has been making waves on Netflix, with fans sharing a disturbing theory about the motive. 

While there are plenty of new documentaries to watch on streaming this month, this dramatization is proving a hit among true crime fans, detailing one of the most publicized Spanish murder trials in recent memory. 

The Asunta Case is based on the true story of Asunta Yong Fang, who was found dead at age 12 in 2013. Though her adoptive parents, Rosario Porto and Alfonso Basterra, presented themselves as concerned, they were later charged for the crime. 

Given the parents maintained their innocence, and Rosario died by suicide in prison in 2020, there are still numerous questions about what really happened. But viewers of the Netflix show have one theory which, if true, would provide a significant motive. 

The theory suggests that Rosario might have orchestrated the deaths of her biological parents to secure their inheritance. There’s been speculation over whether Rosario, assisted by her ex-husband, planned Asunta’s murder to claim her parents’ wealth outright, or if Asunta discovered incriminating information about her adoptive parents, leading to her demise.

Although they were both elderly, Rosario’s parents, María del Socorro Ortega Romero and Francisco Porto Mella, both died suddenly without illness within months of each other — her mother in December 2011 and her father in July 2012. 

According to local newspaper El Correo Gallego, Rosario would have inherited an estimated €1.2 million in real estate alone. Reports also state that she had her parents cremated swiftly without an autopsy following their deaths. 

Taking these details into consideration, alongside the fact that Asunta had been drugged with Lorazepam, one Netflix viewer wrote on Reddit: “I wonder if she poisoned them with Lorazepam too. She inherited over $1 million in real estate alone from them. No one needs that much Lorazepam. It’s quite potent. Usually people prescribe 1mg at a time.”

“My take here: they killed grandma and grandpa to get their money and Asunta either knew or was suspecting something, so they got rid of her too. It is the only thing that makes sense to me,” said another, to which a third replied, “That has a ring of truth to it.”

Others highlighted the fact that Rosario’s marriage to Alfonso broke down after she was discovered to be cheating, suggesting she was planning on luring her lover into running away with the money she inherited. 

Another expanded on this idea, writing, “Rosario was set to inherit a lot from her parents but there has been speculation in multiple sources and alluded to in the show that they left a lot of money to Asunta herself. Maybe she was pissed they left the money to a 13 year old she couldn’t access and not her. So she couldn’t take it and run off to start a new life (maybe with her lover) after the divorce.”

Spanish authorities did tell El Mundo back in 2013 that they intended on investigating Rosario’s parents’ deaths and a possible financial motive. The newspaper stated at the time, “The Civil Guard knows that her parents were without cash with which to pay for their ‘high standard of living’ and is trying to confirm if their adopted daughter was the universal heir of the important heritage of her grandparents.”

However, it’s important to note that this line of inquiry was never confirmed, and any theories about Asunta’s grandparents are pure speculation. The only surviving member of this case is Alfonso, who is currently serving an 18-year prison sentence at the Teixeiro prison in Spain, but he continues to maintain his innocence.