Google Maps street image key to a Spanish love triangle murder investigation

Miriam Kuepper
Daily Mail
Screenshots from Google street view that Spanish police used to uncover the disappearance of a man in his thirties. A man was arrested on Wednesday after he was spotted on street view loading a large white bag into the boot of his car.
Screenshots from Google street view that Spanish police used to uncover the disappearance of a man in his thirties. A man was arrested on Wednesday after he was spotted on street view loading a large white bag into the boot of his car. Credit: Google Street View/supplied

An image of a figure stuffing a body bag into the boot of a car on Google Maps Street View has led to a major breakthrough in a murder case.

The extraordinary picture shows what appears to be a man leaning over a large white sack placed in the back of a red Rover.

Police in the Spanish village of Calle Norte, Tajueco, say it forms part of their investigation into the killing of a man whose body was found dismembered last week.

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The Cuban national was reported missing by his brother in November 2023.

Some of the 33-year-old’s remains – including his torso –were found in a cemetery in the nearby town of Andaluz, according to local media.

The man is believed to have travelled to Tajueco to search for his wife, who was living there. He allegedly discovered that she was having an affair with her neighbour, named by Spain’s El Pais newspaper as Manuel Isla Gallardo, or ‘the Wolf of Tajueco’.

Investigators say this love triangle was the alleged motive for the crime, with the woman and Gallardo allegedly planning the murder, according to news site CiberCuba. They were arrested on November 12 and remain in custody. It is not clear who the person in the image is.

The identification of the remains has been complicated by decomposition, but police believe they belong to the missing man.

A judge ordered the details of the case to remain secret as the investigation is ongoing, but the victim as well as the suspects are expected to be named by authorities soon.

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