Google Street View image helps police unlock Spain murder case

A Google Street View image of a man loading a large white plastic bag into the boot of his car has helped unravel a murder case in a northern Spanish town, police say.

The Google app allows users to see images of streets around the world – filmed by cars mounted with cameras.

It captured the exact moment the body of the victim was allegedly being removed.

Two people were arrested last month, accused of being responsible for the disappearance and murder of a man in October last year. His dismembered remains were found in a cemetery last week.

This was the first time in 15 years that the Google car had been to the town of Tajueco, in the northern province of Soria.

Officials say another photo sequence shows the blurred silhouette of someone transporting a large white bundle in a wheelbarrow.

However, police said the images were not “decisive” in solving the case.

The male victim, said by El Pais newspaper to be a 33-year-old Cuban national, was reported missing in October 2023 after a relative received text messages from the victim’s phone which he found suspicious.

The relative told police they said the victim had met a woman, was leaving Spain and would be getting rid of his phone.

On 12 November this year, police arrested a woman said to be the missing man’s partner and a man said to be her ex-partner.

Earlier this month, a severely decomposed torso, thought to be the victim’s, was dug up in a nearby cemetery.

The accused have been remanded in custody and the investigation continues.