MALAGA – The woman, who washed up headless and with no hands off the coast of Marbella on Sunday, has been identified. The perpetrator has also been arrested. It turns out to be her ex-partner who now confesses, and who had previously been sentenced to prison for assault.
A day before the woman’s body washed ashore, 46-year-old Natalia from Colombia was reported missing by her family. Her ex-partner, also of Colombian nationality, has since confessed that he killed her, stripped her of her head and hands and cut her open with a knife. He then threw her into the sea. DNA testing confirms that he is the culprit.
Images of victim distributed via social media
People on the beach at around 5.00 pm on Sunday afternoon saw what they thought was a drowning man in the water near restaurant Club 200. When police forces then removed the body from the water and bystanders filmed the lurid images with their smartphones. These images ended up on social media, where the victim’s family, among others, saw them.
Although the spread of this image on social media is extremely painful for the family, her siblings were sure it had to be about Natalia. They recognised her by a spot under her breast. Her family immediately informed the Guardia Civil. Subsequently, they issued an arrest warrant for her ex-partner on Monday morning. A few hours later, he was arrested.
Also read: Three women murdered in one weekend in Spain
Another man arrested
In addition to this ex-partner, a friend of his has also been arrested for involvement in the murder. It is alleged he had driven the perpetrator and the woman, who was still alive at the time, to the scene of the crime. The main suspect was taken into custody on Thursday for murder and violating a restraining order. The perpetrator’s boyfriend will appear in court on Friday.
In the meantime, the investigation has not yet been completed. Divers are still trying to find the missing body parts, the victim’s head and hands.
Reconstruction of the events
History between victim and perpetrator already known to police and judiciary
Natalia and her ex-partner had been in a relationship for about five months in 2022. However, in November, the relationsihp ended. This is when the problems started. Natalia filed a report for assault in the same month. According to the Supreme Court of Andalucia, the man has been sentenced to six months in prison and a restraining order of sixteen months. However, with the consent of the Public Prosecution Service, the prison sentence was suspended for two years. According to her family, Natalia had already received several threats from the perpetrator in the days leading up to her disappearance.
The story of Natalia and the fact that she had been a victim of partner violence for months is not an isolated one. Earlier this month, several cases of women who were murdered by their (ex) partner came into the news.
Also read: In December, a woman is killed by her (ex) partner every three days in Spain
