Google Maps cameras have captured some rather intriguing images in the past, stored on the mapping software for everyone to use. This time, these images provided investigators with a valuable clue regarding the arrest of two individuals as part of a murder investigation.
The images in question were taken by a Google Maps vehicle last October. It shows a man leaning over the trunk of a car on an almost deserted street in Spain, loading a large, bulky object wrapped in what appears to be a white sheet or bags.
Police suspect that this object is linked to the disappearance of a Cuban living in Spain, reported missing by a relative at the end of 2023.
According to the newspaper The Countrythe man resided in the town of Soria, in northern Spain, where he had gone in the hope of finding a woman who would be his partner.
A family member of the missing man contacted the police, saying he had received suspicious messages from his phone, indicating that he had met another woman and was planning to leave Spain but abandoned his phone.
“This led the complainant to suspect that the messages were not actually sent by the missing person and to report them to the police,” authorities said.
Last month, according to Reuters, a man and a woman were initially arrested on suspicion of kidnapping. On December 11, part of the man's dismembered body was found buried in a cemetery in the hamlet of Tajueco, confirming that he had been murdered.
Now, investigators continue to clarify the suspects' possible role in the man's death. Their statement, translated from Spanish to English, said they discovered “images on a tracking app” that appeared to have detected a vehicle that may have been used in the crime.
The BBC reports that it was the first time in 15 years that a Google Maps car drove the streets of this small Spanish village, which has fewer than 60 inhabitants.
Police described the couple as “suspected perpetrators of the crime of aggravated illegal kidnapping, due to their inability to justify the disappearance of the person.” » An arrested woman appears to be the partner of the missing man, while an apprehended man is believed to be her former companion.
Residents of Tajueco told The Country that they had seen the images on Google Maps, but had not paid attention to them until this week. “We never imagined he was doing anything suspicious and we didn't think about it,” said one resident, while another clarified: “We didn't think he could do it.” have a body in the chest photo. »
The investigation is still ongoing, with police pointing out that the Google Maps image was just one clue in the case.
Beyond this tragic affair, this situation invites us to reflect on the role that new technologies play in criminal investigations. Can we still ignore the potential that the collection of visual data offers in solving crimes? The ethical and social implications of these findings also deserve careful consideration.
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