After 15 years, Google Street View car returns to remote Spanish town—and uncovers a murder

This was the first time in 15 years that Google’s Street View car had passed through Tajueco.

A Google Street View image has provided a crucial lead in unravelling the mysterious murder of a man in northern Spain, police confirmed. The image, taken in the small town of Tajueco in the northern province of Soria, shows a man loading a large white plastic bag into the boot of a car—suspected to be the moment the victim’s body was being transported.

The breakthrough comes amidst an ongoing investigation into the brutal murder and dismemberment of a 33-year-old Cuban national, who went missing in October 2023. His dismembered remains were discovered earlier this month in a nearby cemetery, a grim conclusion to a case that has gripped the local community, BBC reported.

The Google app, which enables users to virtually explore streets globally through images captured by camera-mounted cars, inadvertently became a silent witness to the crime. Notably, this was the first time in 15 years that Google’s Street View car had passed through Tajueco.

Police also revealed another sequence of photos from the app, showing a blurred silhouette of someone wheeling a large white bundle in a wheelbarrow. However, they clarified that while the images provided valuable context, they were not “decisive” in solving the case.

According to a report by El Pais, the victim was last heard from in October 2023, when a relative received suspicious text messages from his phone. The messages claimed that he had met a woman, was leaving Spain, and planned to dispose of his phone. Alarmed by the inconsistencies, the relative reported his disappearance to the authorities.

On November 12, police arrested two suspects: the victim’s partner and her ex-partner. Both have been remanded in custody as investigations continue.

The breakthrough came earlier this month when police unearthed a severely decomposed torso in a cemetery near Tajueco, believed to belong to the victim.