Shock swept through the Spanish province of Soria in Castile and León after the dismembered body of a Cuban man who had been missing for over a year was found.

The National Police have arrested two people as suspected perpetrators of the crime: the victim’s wife, also of Cuban origin, and her lover, a neighbor from Soria known as El Lobo de Tajueco.

The investigation, which required months of research and uncovering technical evidence, ended with the discovery of the remains in the cemetery of Andaluz, a small town of just under twenty inhabitants.

The Disappearance: A Year of Uncertainty

The events date back to November 2023, when the brother of a missing Cuban, also living in Spain, reported to the National Police that he had lost all contact with his relative – a 33-year-old Cuban who had traveled to Cuba from Cuba through the Berlanga de Duero region of Soria in search of his wife, who was already living in Spain.

The last information his brother had about him were some messages sent through a messaging app in which the Cuban claimed he had met a woman and said he planned to get rid of his phone.

The unusual nature of the messages and their subsequent disappearance raised alarm.

The report sparked a complex investigation that lasted over a year and led officers to focus on the victim’s immediate area.

During this time, searches were carried out at various locations in Soria, houses were inspected and excavations were carried out in areas adjacent to the residence of one of the suspects.

Still, it was a revealing image from Google Street View that was the turning point in the case.

The image that changed everything

The investigation took a turn when officers discovered a disturbing image captured by the Google Maps vehicle on North Tajueco Street.

The photo showed a man putting a large white plastic bag in the trunk of a red car, the shape of which suggested there was a human body inside.

This discovery, as well as previous suspicions, led the National Police to focus their efforts on a man named El Lobo de Tajueco, who ran a bar in Bayubas de Arriba and had a romantic relationship with the victim’s wife.

From that moment on, investigators resorted to wiretapping, which revealed that both the suspect and the victim’s wife were involved in the crime. The intercepted conversations were crucial to the arrest of both on November 12th.

The discovery in the cemetery of Andaluz

After months of investigation, agents found the Cuban national’s dismembered remains on December 11 in the Romanesque cemetery of Andaluz, a small village in the Berlanga de Duero region.

The macabre discovery involved the recovery of several body parts buried beneath the burial site’s soil, including the torso, although not all of the limbs have yet been found.

The body was recovered in the presence of forensic experts and the remains were transferred to the Soria Institute of Legal Medicine for analysis.

The decomposition of the body made final identification difficult, although police believe it is the missing person.

A crime of jealousy and betrayal

According to the investigation, the crime arose from a love triangle. Upon arriving in Spain, the victim discovered that his wife was having an affair with the suspect. This situation is believed to have been the catalyst for the murder, which was allegedly planned and carried out by both individuals.

Those arrested, a 40-year-old man from Soria and the victim’s wife, were taken into temporary custody after being charged with the crime.

The Investigative Court No. 1 of Soria has declared the case secret as the investigation continues to clarify all the details of the incident.

Three small towns in shock

News of the discovery shocked residents of Andaluz, Tajueco and Bayubas de Arriba, three small rural communities who were previously unaware of such a gruesome crime.

The Andalusian cemetery where the remains were found has been sealed for several days, which has led to all sorts of speculation among local residents.

“Nobody thought something like this could happen here. It’s such a quiet town…” say the neighbors, who also wonder what role the image taken by Google Maps played in solving the case.

Other residents of Tajueco and Bayubas de Arriba recalled seeing the suspect running the bar and described his life as lonely and full of personal problems.

Authorities have promised more details about what happened and the public identification of the two killers and the victim

Frequently asked questions about the murder of the Cuban in Soria