Spanish police say a Google Street View image allegedly showing a man loading a bag into a car has helped lead to two arrests in a murder case.
The image shows a man loading the white bag, which police suspect could contain a body, into the boot of a car in Tajueco, a hamlet in the northern Spanish region of Soria, Spanish newspaper El País reported.
It was captured in October last year, according to Google Street View.
Investigators said the vehicle in the image "could have been used in the course of the crime".
"One of the clues that investigators had to solve the crime, although it was not decisive, was some images detected during the investigations in a location search application [Google Street View]" the police statement said.
The image was still visible on Google Street View when the ABC checked on Thursday (December 19).
Police have arrested a man and a woman over the alleged disappearance and death of a man.
The woman was described by police as the missing man's partner. Her alleged accomplice was in a relationship with her, investigators said.
The pair have been charged with homicide and "aggravated illegal detention".
Suspicious text messages
Police did not name the two suspects, or the victim.
El País reported the missing man was 33 years old and originally from Cuba.
He was first reported missing in November 2023 by a relative, who became suspicious of some phone messages they had received from his phone, authorities said.
After a period of no contact, the relative received more messages stating the missing man had met a girl and was leaving Soria and getting a new phone.
Those messages raised alarms and the relative reported it to the authorities, according to the police statement.
The Soria Provincial Police Station began investigations and gathered "sufficient evidence to identify the alleged perpetrators of the disappearance".
Body parts found in cemetery
The investigation led police to Andaluz cemetery, in Soria, where "parts of the victim were found buried".
On December 11 police dug up a section of the cemetery where they found a "torso in an advanced state of decay," El País reported.
"Advanced technical means had to be used to locate" the remains, police said.
Other parts of the body are still missing.
Both people remain in custody and the investigation is ongoing.
