The alleged perpetrator of the murder of the fragmented man found in the Yesa reservoir has been placed in prison

The Civil Guard, in coordination with the Foral Police, arrested a man last Tuesday as the alleged main perpetrator of the murder of another man whose remains were found on 4 August in the Yesa swamp between Navarra and Zaragoza. The judge has lifted the secrecy of the proceedings and the chronology of the events has been revealed.

Since the discovery of the remains, the Civil Guard has launched a search operation with the support of specialists from GEAS, the Cynological Unit and the Drone Unit.

Although the database of missing persons did not agree, the proximity of the reservoir to France and the presence of a tattoo of the French Legion on the forearm of the deceased led to suspicion that it might be a French citizen.

On August 7, the Beriain police found the victim's dog in the Morea swamp and, thanks to the microchip, contacted his ex-partner, who reported him missing the next day.

The search carried out at the victim's home in Pamplona/Iruña made it possible to gather various evidence and, finally, on 8 September, the alleged perpetrator was arrested in Pamplona/Iruña while taking the dogs for a walk.

On the other hand, the Chief Civil and Investigating Judge of First Instance Chamber No. 1 of Ejea de los Caballeros (Zaragoza), who has conducted the investigation, received the detainee last Thursday and ordered him to be placed in pre-trial detention without bail.

What are the main keys to the investigation?

The victim and the alleged perpetrator shared a flat in the Pamplonese neighbourhood of La Milagrosa, where the latter rented a room to the deceased. The two complained to each other about problems of cohabitation. Up to five dogs lived in the house, four of the alleged perpetrator and one of the victim.

During the search of the house, investigators found obvious signs of recent cleaning, especially in the bathroom, as well as some apparently used bleach containers and suddenly disconnected security cameras.

Similarly, small drops of blood were found in unusual places, the samples of which were sent to the Civil Guard Crime Service (SECRIM). The analysis found that they corresponded to the same genetic profile as the remains found in Esan.

What moves did the alleged killer make before?

The examination of the cameras and other evidence, together with the date of death set by forensics — about 72 hours before the discovery — made it possible to determine that the victim had gone for a walk with his dog on Saturday, August 1, and had never left the house by himself again.

It was also found that the alleged perpetrator had been in the vicinity of the swamp since the following day, 2 August, and had previously taken several packages from his home in Pamplona to the vehicle parked on the street, so specialists also took samples from the vehicle for examination.

In addition, a few days before the crime, it was discovered that a saber saw had been purchased from a supermarket near the house. Forensics determined that the characteristics of the cuts in the remains could be compatible with such an instrument, but the saw has not been found.

Finally, the analysis of the alleged author's phone revealed a number of searches on the Internet, including searches related to the cutting of meat, cutting instruments, strangulation with flanges, and the Thai crime involving Daniel Sancho and Edwin Arrieta.