Ronda disappearance: one of the detainees had appealed the public for help in finding Alejandro on numerous occasions

Alejandro called her his 'aunt', although she was actually his neighbour and the partner of his stepfather's brother. Her family took the young man in when he was still a teenager, when he had just left home due to disagreements with his mother.

According to neighbours, Álex (as those close to him called him) used to beg at the entrances to some supermarkets in Ronda while playing the flute to bring a few euros home.

He went missing on 3 May 2024.

"Álex, if you see this, please come back or give us a call. If anyone sees him, please ring us or the police. Thanks in advance. Álex, we miss you so much. Whatever's happened, I don't care. You know you're very important to us, just as much as anyone else, and we can talk about anything. I just want you to be safe. The rest doesn't matter to us. A big kiss from your aunt and uncle and cousins," the now detained woman once wrote on Facebook.

A few weeks later, the woman reported that he had most recently been seen at the recycling centre in the La Dehesa area (where the young man lived) and at an abandoned petrol station in the town of Arriate.

"Álex, it's your aunt. I've hardly been posting anything or going out anywhere or anything because I know what you're like, but we're at the end of our tether. We've been searching for you non-stop and we're not going to stop because I know you're alive. I know you're trying to get by. I know you and you're not the sort to ever give up," she later wrote in the same group.

The following posts date from 6 January and 6 March, Three Kings' Day and the day Alejandro turned 26. They include several photos of the young man sharing what appear to be happy moments with his 'adoptive' family.

"I've loved you like a son ever since you came to live with us. Ever since I met you, I've loved you because you know how to make yourself loved. You're very special to us and you know it," the woman wrote.

She acted as the family's spokesperson to the media. After months without any news of the young man, she told SUR that the situation was causing her "great" distress. She explained that, in the days leading up to his disappearance, there had been no unusual conversation that might have suggested he had left of his own accord.

On the contrary, she stated that the young man was excited because, with the money he intended to raise, he wanted to buy a specific pair of trainers.

Regarding the missing person report, the woman explained that they had not gone to the police station earlier because that was what they had been advised to do and because they still held hope he would return.

At present, there is no evidence that the National Police have found any remains of the young man in the property they searched. The detainees remain in police custody pending a court appearance.

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