Juan Jesús speaks with a heavy heart, sharing what his family has endured for four years. His brother Antonio Ruiz, known as El Rosco, vanished in Granada under a cloud of unanswered questions. The family insists that Antonio was silenced by those who harmed him, and they continue to seek justice for a life that unraveled suddenly and cruelly. The loss is described in stark terms: the killers have names and surnames, and the harm was both deliberate and devastating.
The complaint was filed in 2018 when the alarm was first raised, but the exact moment of Antonio’s disappearance remains unclear. He was 58, a man whose routine had changed after a long period of quiet life, who had retired early and drifted away from his former daily rhythm.
“He disappeared in Baza, Granada, and no one reported his absence”, his brother declared. Antonio had started a new relationship, moved with his partner, and even settled into a cave-like home. After that shift, he gradually withdrew from his family and social circle, including his three children and his parents. While there was movement in his bank account with regular monthly withdrawals, there were no other signs of life or communications.
separated from family
Antonio was remembered as cheerful, funny, and sometimes confounding in his jokes. He had become more private after the new relationship, drawing a distance between him and the rest of his relatives. The time at which he last contacted his children remains unclear, and his brother recalls how the family learned of his disappearance after a cousin visited Baza following the holidays. A missing person report was filed on July 16, 2018, and a desperate appeal followed: a photo of Antonio circulated online with the plea for information from anyone who might have seen him or his partner.
Responses to the plea soon emerged. Messages on social media suggested that someone might have connections to the partner and raised suspicions about what happened in the household, especially since Antonio left his home and belongings and no one could verify his whereabouts. A niece of the partner later resided in the home, adding another layer of mystery to the case.
three versions
“We don’t have much contact since the relationship began”, the brother said. Reconstructing the final days proved impossible. The partner spoke to investigators in several versions, and each stated version prompted new questions. The Civil Guard examined the possibility of a violent incident at the family home in Huétor Tájar, a scenario one version suggested, but the details were never corroborated and no restraining order supported such an account.
In another account, the partner claimed that a dispute occurred, but Antonio had left while she remained at the house. Neighbors intervened during the fight, and afterwards, the partner said she had no more information due to the severity of the incident—yet no formal complaints or evidence supported this claim.
The latest version involved Antonio meeting a Romanian woman online and leaving with her, without any explanation. This explanation did not sit well with Antonio’s brother, who found it implausible and inconsistent with what was known of Antonio’s habits and routines.
Three scenarios were considered by the Civil Guard. The first was dismissed early when Antonio did not go to his mother’s home. The second was deemed false as well, since there were no records of an altercation or restraining order. The third option considered whether Antonio might have left the country, despite the children noting that he lacked internet access and did not know much about new technologies. His brother, however, finds that explanation hard to accept.
Registration and inquiries began anew. Antonio’s identity appeared in the cave, but there was a stubborn belief that he could not have left Spain. Authorities sought assistance from Romanian authorities through SIRENE, but the search for a Romanian connection yielded no results; Antonio did not enter Romania according to the information available.
Antonio’s girlfriend assured investigators that the man broke up with a Romanian woman he met online.
With both phones off and no obvious sign of life, investigators reviewed Antonio’s bank records. The pattern was clear: money was withdrawn punctually each month, as if someone were living with a routine that mirrored Antonio’s retirement funds being accessed on schedule. It suggested someone close to him was handling the accounts, not a missing man living elsewhere by choice.
The investigators later corrected the course of the inquiry and discovered that it was Antonio who had been removing the funds, not the partner. “He didn’t report his disappearance but kept receiving the pension”, a realization that hit hard for Antonio’s family. When asked for an explanation, the partner said the money belonged to her, and she continued to receive the salary until March 2019, when Social Security required an employment check at its headquarters. By then Antonio had disappeared, and the pension payments were blocked, and the partner reportedly stopped taking the money.
Photo captions note Antonio’s wedding day, shared by his brother as a reminder of what was lost.
Abandoned drawings of the case reveal a deeper fold of tension. Juan Jesús later moved the criminology team from the Metro Union to investigate the neighborhood, where the only car in the suspect’s area was found at a junkyard. The investigators faced renewed scrutiny, yet a clear path forward remained elusive. Family members pressed for action, insisting that anything that might shed light on Antonio’s fate be pursued. They requested a thorough review of what had been done and what had not, hoping that new investigations might illuminate the shadowy details that still haunt them.
There were hints about possible accomplices linked to the partner and relatives, but progress stalled. The family remains determined: they want reexaminations, fresh bone analyses, and a renewed look at the conduct of all involved, with no one left out of the inquiry. In their view, a renewed effort could still bring clarity to Antonio’s disappearance and accountability for those responsible.
Ultimately, the case is a stark reminder that a family can be left with more questions than answers when the trail runs cold. The unresolved questions and prolonged lack of movement have left Antonio’s family clinging to memories, seeking justice, and hoping for any evidence that could finally explain what happened to him in Granada.