Malaga authorities investigate murder of young woman and discovery of her ex-husband's body who took his own life in Antequera

The authorities in Malaga are investigating the fourth case of gender-based violence in the province this July: the murder of 30-year-old mother of two María and the suicide of her ex-husband in the town in Antequera.

Both bodies were discovered on Monday. The investigation started with the discovery of a 35-year-old man's body, who had taken his own life at around 11.50am by jumping from the Arco de los Gigantes in the heart of the old town.

After verifying his identity, the police discovered he had been registered as an abuser in the VioGén system for the protection of gender-based violence victims since 2023. His ex-wife figured in his case file as the victim, but the court protection order had terminated just a few days prior to the man's death.

Then came a second alert, at around 2pm. Authorities received several calls reporting screams indicating the discovery of a murdered woman in a house in the town centre.

When the police arrived, they found María's body with multiple stab wounds. The emergency services could only confirm her death and activate the judicial and forensic team to proceed with the transfer of the body for an autopsy.

The gender-based violence unit of the government sub-delegation is already gathering information to determine if this is a new case of gender-based violence, as suspected.

María and her ex-husband leave behind two children: a four-year-old son and a seven-year-old daughter.

If confirmed, María would be the fourth victim of this gender-based violence scourge so far in July alone.

On 1 July, the body of 35-year-old Cristina, a resident of Malaga city's Ciudad Jardín district, was found in a well in Rincón de la Victoria. That same day, her ex-partner confessed that he had stabbed her to death weeks earlier.

The man appeared in the VioGén system for three other previous victims. Both he and another individual, who allegedly helped him dispose of the body, remain in pretrial detention, while a woman has been released pending investigation.

Just one week later, in the early hours of 8 July, a 61-year-old woman and her 31-year-old daughter were found dead in their home in Mijas after the house had been set on fire. Their names were María and Patricia, respectively. Both had stab wounds, leading investigators to suspect from the outset that the perpetrator had tried to disguise the double murder with arson.

The following day, the mother's ex-partner, 67, was arrested for his alleged involvement in the double murder and for suspected robbery with violence. The man appeared in the police database as a "persistent aggressor".

People who knew him well told SUR that he had been in prison several years prior for attempting to strangle a former partner.

These are not the only femicides this year. The first occurred in January in Alhaurín el Grande. Victoria, a 33-year-old British woman, was murdered by her ex-partner in front of her three children, all minors, in her own home. She had reported him to the police and had an active restraining order.

After the attack, the suspect went to the Alhaurín de la Torre prison, where he asked the police to arrest him because he had done "something very bad". He didn't give many details. He said he had "taken a knife", "gone crazy" and stabbed the mother of his children, but didn't know if he had killed her. He has been in pretrial detention ever since.

The second incident occurred in early June, when 51-year-old Victoria was allegedly shot by her husband, Francisco, 56, who then took his own life in their home in Palma-Palmilla, in the city of Malaga. There were no prior reports of domestic violence in this case.

Victoria was well-known for her involvement in the local community, her hard work and her devotion to her family (she had two children and three grandchildren). She also worked as a cleaner at the San Juan de Dios assistance centre.

Victims, their family members and witnesses who want to report gender-based violence can do so by contacting the 061 helpline, which is available 24 hours a day in 53 different languages. The call is free and does not appear on the phone bill. Incidents can also be reported by emailing 016-online@igualdad.gob.es.

Alternatively, there is also the WhatsApp chat at 600000016. In an emergency, the National Police (091), the Local Police (092) and the Guardia Civil (062) provide immediate assistance.

If someone is unable to make a call, they can use the ALERTCOPS app, which sends a geolocation alert to the police.

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