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How Google Maps helped solve, catch the murder in a year-old case
The picture which helped solve the case was captured in October 2024 and is still visible on the platform
In what can be termed a shocking twist, a Google Maps street view in Spain facilitated in solving of a murder mystery.
The incident took place in Spain's small village of Tajueco, where a vehicle accidentally captured a man placing a large white bag into the trunk of a red car, AFP reported.
According to a police statement, the picture that helped solve the case was captured in October 2024 and is still visible on the platform. Though, it was not the sole proof but has become a crucial piece of evidence in the investigation.
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The case was filed in November 2023, when a Cuban national living in Soria, Spain, was reported missing by his family, reported newspaper El País.
The victim reportedly relocated to Soria recently and was believed to be searching for a woman he considered his partner.
Victim's family received absurd texts
The suspicion of the man's whereabouts arose when the family of the victim started to receive texts from his phone saying that he found a new woman and was planning to leave the country. The texts also said that he was abandoning his phone.
In the initial phase of the investigation, police primarily focused on the man’s ex-partner and her new boyfriend.
In November 2024, the police even arrested the couple, suspecting their involvement in the disappearance and potential murder of the Cuban national.
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A few weeks later, investigators discovered a torso, believed to belong to the missing man, buried in a cemetery near Tajueco.
A police statement revealed that the breakthrough in the case came thanks to the Google Maps street view image. The image of a vehicle near the scene helped authorities connect the dots as the investigators were able to identify the red car in the image.
“This was one of the clues that investigators used during their investigation, and while not conclusive, the images from a mapping application provided an important lead,” the statement said.
