Foreign suspect with criminal record arrested in Mijas following Granada kidnap and murder

It all started as a kidnapping, but turned into a murder. The victim, a 40-year-old man, went for a walk on the morning of 21 December 2020 in the vicinity of the cemetery of Santa Fe (Granada), where he lived, when he was approached by a group of people who forced him into a van. His body was later found bound, gagged and with clear signs of violence.

After almost four years of investigations, the Guardia Civil has arrested an individual in Mijas allegedly linked to the case. A court in Granada has sent him to prison as he is considered to be the user of a mobile phone that the investigations located in the place where the victim's body was found, in the Sierra de Huétor natural park.

The lifeless body of the kidnap victim was discovered on the morning of 23 December by a group of cyclists. He had wounds on his hands and head that showed evidence of a violent death, which led to a "complex" investigation by the Guardia Civil, which has been kept secret all this time. The triangulation of the phones and the study of number plates have been key.

On Wednesday 11 September, Guardia Civil officers from Granada arrested the suspect in Mijas, a foreign individual who has a previous record in Spain, specifically for breaking and entering, which dates back to 2023. In August, three other arrests were made in relation to this case, although all of the individuals were released.

The man recently arrested appeared in the Granada court that has investigated the case on Thursday. Aránguez Abogados, the law firm representing the victim's relatives, requested the suspect's imprisonment "as it has been proven that his phone was used when the events took place", according to the company. It appears that a mobile phone has been seized and the information it contains is being processed in order to continue the investigation.