Source: Google map21st December 2024 – (Tajueco) Authorities in Spain have arrested a man and a woman in connection with the disappearance and presumed death of a missing man, following a significant lead from a Google Maps vehicle. Police announced the detentions on Wednesday, revealing that the investigation began after a relative reported the man missing in November last year due to suspicious messages received from his phone.
According to police statements, the missing man had communicated regularly with his relative until he abruptly claimed to have met a new partner and intended to relocate, stating he would be disposing of his phone. These unusual messages raised alarms, prompting the relative to contact law enforcement.
During the investigation, officers uncovered a Google Maps image taken in October in Tajueco, a small village in the province of Soria, located in the Castile and León region of northern Spain. The image, which remains visible on Google Maps, captures a person leaning into the trunk of a red car with a large object wrapped in a light-coloured cloth. Notably, this marked the first update of Google Maps imagery in Tajueco since November 2009.
On 12th November, police arrested the former girlfriend of the missing man and another man with whom she had a prior relationship, alleging their involvement in the man’s disappearance and death. In a significant development, authorities recovered a badly decomposed torso from a cemetery in a nearby village on 11th December. While formal identification has not yet been completed, police believe it may belong to the missing man.