A SUSPECTED serial killer is being investigated in Spain following the grisly deaths of three farmers over a three-month period.
The alleged murders took place between November 2023 and January 2024, all with a near-identical ‘modus operandi’.
They all took place in Navarra and Lleida, in the north of the country, with each killing happening in the morning.
All the alleged victims are very elderly men who were working alone in the field when they were said to have been slayed by suspect, who has been branded ‘The Orchard Killer’ in Spanish press.
But what do we know about the victims and the alleged triple murderer?
Victim number one: Pedro Oyon, 68
Pedro Oyon was the first crime to be investigated after he was found stabbed to death in an olive grove in the outskirts of Tudela, in Navarra.
The alarm had been raised by his wife, who became worried when he failed to return from picking olives in the field.
The first alleged murder took place on November 22.
Victim number two: Jose Luis Aguado, 80
The second alleged victim is Jose Luis Aguado, who was found stabbed to death on a farm in Ribaforada – also in Navarra, on December 21.
Investigators say the man was found with deep cuts to his head and the back of his skull.
His red Opel Corsa was missing, only to later be found at the scene of the third murder.
Victim number three: Ramon Rosell, 84
The third alleged victim is Ramon Rosell, who was found stabbed and beaten to death in a field of olive trees in Lleida.
He had left his house to pick some fruit trees on January 5, but the alarm was raised when he failed to return.
Despite being 200km from the other two murders, police found the red Opel Corsa belonging to the second victim, pointing to them being linked.
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Who is the alleged killer?
The main suspect left the red Opel Corsa at the scene of the third killing, before stealing Rosell’s car – which was later found burnt out in France.
It suggests the alleged killer fled in the direction of Andorra and crossed into France, reports local press.
Forensic experts are now examining evidence and searching for DNA samples at the three separate crime scenes, as well as the burnt out vehicle.
But there is very little information on who the killer could be.
He has only been described as a ‘strong man’ with ‘dark skin’, and unfortunately was able to skip a Mossos d’Esquadra checkpoint in Ponts, Lleida.
CCTV footage showed him driving through La Farge de Moles, in Valles del Valira, before crossing into France in Pas de la Casa less than hour later.
He then vanished into thin air, with investigators unsure of his latest location.
Spanish police, including the Guardia Civil, have asked French authorities to join the investigation.
