Accused murderer caught by police after Google Maps image showed him putting a body in car trunk
Topics: Crime, Google Maps, Spain, World News
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Featured Image Credit: Google Maps/Getty Images/Catherine McQueen
Topics: Crime, Google Maps, Spain, World News
A suspected murderer has been caught by police after a Google Maps image appeared to show him stuffing a body in the trunk of a car.
The dismembered remains of a man's body were found last week in a Romanesque cemetery of the Soria municipality of Andaluz, Spain, a small rural town with few inhabitants.
Two people, a couple identified in local Spanish press as Manuel, from Tajueco, and Alicia, have been arrested in connection with the man's death.
The pair face either murder or manslaughter charges, though the investigation is ongoing.
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Spanish reports differ on the nature of the relationship between the trio, as some reports suggest a 'love triangle' situation led to murder as the arrested couple had become lovers and the victim, from Cuba, was Alicia's husband.
The married couple allegedly lived separately.
The news outlet, Cadena SER, also stated Manuel had run a bar in Bayubas de Arriba, where the murdered victim also allegedly worked as a waiter.
CiberCuba also reported the alleged killer, a man in his 40s, was known locally as 'El Lobo de Tajueco', which translates to 'the wolf of Tajueco', and ran a bar while engaging in a romantic relationship with the victim's wife.
The National Police opened the case in November 2023 after the victim's family reported him as missing.
His brother raised the alarm after he had some unusual messages before losing contact.
The 33-year-old victim had travelled from Cuba to the rural Soria region in search of his wife, CiberCuba reports.
The breakthrough in the case came after police investigated the couple and intercepted their calls.
However, it was a harrowing Google street view image published on Calle Norte in the town of Tajueco that proved to be the turning point.
The Google Maps image, published in October this year, appears to show a man dealing with a body-sized plastic bag in the boot of a car.
The dismembered remains, including a torso, were uncovered from the burial site and have been sent to forensic experts at the Soria Institute of Legal Medicine for further analysis.
Other limbs belonging to the victim are yet to be found.
The man suspected to be involved with the victim's death has been sent to Soria prison, while the woman has been detained in Zuera prison in Zaragoza, Cadena SER reports.
A deputy government representative and the National Police Commissioner are also due to provide further details of the incident at a press conference later today (Wednesday, December 18).
The National Police has been contacted for comment.