TL;DR
- Google Street View images may form critical evidence in a homicide investigation.
- One of the two key images in the case shows a man in a small Spanish village appearing to load a suspicious bundle into his car.
- Two suspects are in custody and have been charged with homicide, one year after the victim was reported missing.
Since the recognizable cars carrying 360-degree cameras were first deployed in 2007, the internet has been awash with curious Google Street View pictures. Few, however, can be as potentially consequential as this one from Tajueco, Spain, taken in October. The Street View image has been cited as evidence in a homicide investigation, according to the English language version of the Spanish news publication El Pais.
Capturing pictures of the tiny Spanish village for the first time since the Street View project began, one Google photo shows a man leaning over the open trunk of a red car. The trunk appears to contain something wrapped in a white package, the shape of which certainly raises an eyebrow. Spanish authorities allege that the image is linked to the disappearance of a 33-year-old Cuban man who was a resident of the city of Soria in the same Spanish state.
A man and a woman were arrested on November 12 in relation to the case and have both since been charged with illegal detention and homicide. The female suspect is believed to have been in a relationship with the victim, while the detained male, named as 48-year-old Manuel Isla Gallardo, is said to have been previously married to the woman. A body found in a nearby cemetery last week is suspected to be linked to the case.
The two images provided a “determining” clue.
A cousin of the victim first reported him missing in November 2023 after receiving a suspicious WhatsApp message from the victim’s number. The messages stated that the victim had met a woman and would not only leave Soria but also leave his phone behind. The cousin doubted the authenticity of the messages and alerted authorities.
Another Street View image forming evidence in the case purports to show a figure dressed in dark blue carrying a large white bundle in a wheelbarrow. The police said the two images provided a “determining” clue but that they were not decisive or the sole evidence in the case.
The investigation is ongoing, and the two suspects have yet to face trial.
