Coín murder suspect confesses to killing and dismembering missing man six years after disappearance

Investigators were able to recover additional human remains after the accused directed officers to several locations in Alhaurín de la Torre where he said he had hidden the victim's body

03/08/2026 a las 16:31h.

New details have emerged about the murder of Francisco José Agüera, the Coín man who disappeared during the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Guardia Civil sources, ... the suspect has confessed to killing Agüera at his home in Coín, before dismembering the body and transporting the remains to several locations in the municipality of Alhaurín de la Torre, where they were hidden.

The confession, made after the suspect's arrest as part of 'Operation Capibara', proved crucial in solving the case six years after Agüera disappeared. The investigation was carried out jointly by the Homicide Unit at Guardia Civil headquarters in Malaga and the Coín Judicial Police Team.

After being arrested on Tuesday 28 July, the suspect, who was known to the victim socially, cooperated with investigators and led officers to the exact locations where he said he had disposed of the body. Searches at those sites led to the recovery of several human bone fragments near the 'carretera de las canteras' in Alhaurín de la Torre.

The remains are now undergoing genetic analysis at the Criminalistics Laboratory, where investigators hope to confirm definitively whether they belong to Agüera.

Context

Agüera was 59 when he disappeared. On 28 April 2020, local police officers and one of his sisters entered his home in Coín after neighbours raised concerns about his whereabouts.

Officers found his personal belongings untouched and food still in the fridge, ruling out the possibility that he had left voluntarily.

The investigation reached its first major breakthrough in June 2025, when municipal workers discovered a skull inside a bag in a drainage inspection chamber on the Pinos de Alhaurín residential estate.

DNA testing confirmed the victim's identity nine months later, prompting the Guardia Civil to focus on his close circle of acquaintances through data analysis and other investigative techniques, ultimately leading to the identification and arrest of the suspect.

The confessed killer has been remanded in custody without bail since Friday 31 July, by order of Investigating Court No. 8 in Malaga. The order is 'comunicada', meaning he is permitted to communicate with family and his lawyer, unlike suspects held 'incommunicado' under Spanish law.