It was a regular December day when Isak Andic, the billionaire founder of Spanish fast-fashion label Mango, set out on a hike with relatives through the Montserrat caves near Barcelona.
But the day ended in tragedy when the fashion mogul slipped and fell more than 100 metres from a cliff.
His sudden death sparked an outpouring of grief and tributes.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez lauded Mr Andic's hard work that transformed a singular brand into a "global fashion leader".
Mr Andic's own company tried to grapple with the unexpected loss.
"In these extremely difficult times we share the pain of the family as if it were our own," Mango CEO Toni Ruiz said in a statement.
But now, 10 months after the fashion founder's death, local media are reporting his son, Jonathan Andic, has become an alleged suspect.
Mango's rise
Mango's origin began in the 1960s, when a 14-year-old Isak Andic moved from Istanbul to Barcelona.
He bought flowered, hand-embroidered blouses from a sailor down in the port with the idea to then sell them to stores, before quickly diversifying with clogs, jeans and other accessories.
In 1984, Mr Andic opened the first Mango store in Barcelona.
Now, the company has roughly 2,850 points of sale around the world, with Mr Andic considered a rival of Zara founder Amancio Ortega.
In 2011, Mango's popularity was boosted in the United Kingdom when Kate Moss was announced as the face of the brand.
At the time of his death, Mr Andic was non-executive chairman of the fashion brand and worth $US4.5 billion ($6.9 billion), according to Forbes.
Mr Andic's three children — Jonathan, Judith and Sarah Andic — are all part of the company.
Jonathan Andic was appointed vice-president of the board of the privately held company on his father's death and president of its holding company, MNG.
His sisters, Judith and Sarah, were named as vice-presidents of MNG.
Now, one of Mr Andic's children is in the spotlight.
Reports emerge of homicide investigation
Last week, multiple local outlets reported Jonathan Andic was being officially investigated for possible homicide.
Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia reported the judge looking into Mr Andic's death began officially investigating Jonathan Andic in September for the homicide of his father because of contradictory statements he gave as a witness and that authorities were searching his phone for more evidence.
La Vanguardia added that during the 10-month probe, investigators had not found any conclusive evidence linking Jonathan Andic to his father's death.
Another Spanish newspaper, El País, published a similar report citing "various sources familiar with the investigation".
Following the reports, the Barcelona court's press office said the case, which was still sealed, was not directed at any particular individual.
The family of Isak Andic said it was confident his son, Jonathan, was innocent.
In a statement, the family said it "will continue to cooperate, as it has done until now, with the competent authorities".
"Furthermore, it trusts that this process will be concluded as soon as possible and that it will prove Jonathan Andic's innocence."
ABC/Reuters
