Civil security guards refer to them as canaries because they sometimes reveal details to investigators. Antonio Caba, a man from Manzanares in Ciudad Real, who was jailed for the murder of businessman Juan Miguel Isla, has been detained again. A canary, a microphone, in the car he drives, a BMW X5.
He behaved rudely and knew he was under scrutiny, taking precautions and avoiding extended phone conversations. Yet he spoke aloud when alone in the car. He engaged in self-talk, a behavior described by the Civil Guard in their case summary, which CASO ABIERTO accessed to reconstruct the events surrounding Isla’s disappearance. The body of the missing businessman was later found in a well on a Valdepeñas farm, leading to the arrest of Caba and his associate Gaspar Rivera. Both remain incarcerated.
Juan Miguel Isla disappeared on July 22, 2022, after traveling to Manzanares to collect payment for a farm sale. Antonio Caba, acting as intermediary, accompanied Isla and testified as a witness at the time. After receiving 50,000 euros, Isla was left unharmed in the moment, but the investigation was restarted late January.
The body of the businessman was found in a well at Valdepeñas. To mislead investigators, Isla’s car was moved to Albacete. The open status of the case connected Isla’s disappearance with other inquiries, and the Civil Guard sought help locating the vehicle, which was eventually found in Albacete.
When the accused tried to hide their movements by speaking in a quiet voice, they left a trail behind in the car.
From that point forward, Antonio Caba knew he was at the center of intense scrutiny. A gun enthusiast, he took many precautions, barely spoke on the phone, and sometimes left his phone at home or in another town to avoid leaving traceable footprints. What he did not know was that a Civil Guard device was installed as a microphone in the car to locate the missing body. He would vent his stress during solitary drives, and the reflections recorded by the device provided insights into his mood and nerves as the investigation progressed.
You Are Very Stupid
On March 2, a real estate company employee informed Gaspar Rivera, a retired friend of Caba, about the ongoing inquiry into Isla and a farm purchase. The Civil Guard queried Isla about the farm, and there, Isla’s body remained in a well; only the two of them knew its location. At 2:35 p.m. after a call from Gaspar, Caba drove and could not help himself. He realized that Gaspar’s call had placed them in the Civil Guard’s crosshairs.
“Already, because you are stupid, call… I have a phone, son. Are you in your head, are you sane? You just blamed it on yourself, are you stupid or are you missing water? …”
The intermediary believed no one listened as he kept talking while driving. He feared investigators were closing in on the body, and he urged Gaspar not to visit in person to avoid leaving traces of their link.
“You are so stupid, man, so stupid. What you did has no name. If I knew… Now get ready… shoot yourself. Take the damn car and come, damn it, you’re dumber, to see what is going on. You’re the village idiot, dumber than a jug. Now I’m doing it. You won’t be able to escape them now, not after what you’ve done.”
No Corpse, No Sentence
Antonio Caba grew anger toward his friend Gaspar. Only the two knew where Isla’s body lay. Without a corpse, there could be no crime or punishment. Alone in his car, he continued to think aloud, puzzled by how he could have erred. He blamed his friend’s weakness and his passion for slot machines.
Everyone’s talking… And you call and call me. How urgent or what scoundrels… Everything is being interfered with.
“What are you saying to me with what’s there? He also calls and tells me to leave immediately, but is that normal? There is no escape anymore, no more. Everyone’s talking about it. And you pick up the phone and call me. It doesn’t matter how urgent it is. And everything got in the way. Are you looking for me for this? You can’t take the car and get closer. You’re always the same. What did you do with the money? All right, I’ll tell you, do you want me to tell you? What they said to me in the barracks, you are a gambler, they called me that, you are a gambler.”
The Civil Guard later located Isla’s body again in Valdepeñas.
That afternoon, Antonio Caba and Gaspar Rivera met for seven minutes in a Valdepeñas gas station parking lot. After the encounter, Caba returned to the car, convinced that investigators would soon uncover Isla’s resting place and arrest him. He spoke to himself again, certain that no one was listening, but the microphone captured every word.
“Well, Antonio, we have come this far, we have come this far.”
The next day, Caba and Gaspar checked for Civil Guard presence at the ranch where Isla’s body was hidden. They did not carry mobile phones to avoid leaving traces, a detail they admitted in the car, which was recorded.
“Be careful with that stuff. We are getting close now that we don’t have a cell phone. Let’s get a little closer, right now, Friday afternoon. Let’s go, let’s go and whatever God wills.”
The Civil Guard’s investigation tracked their moves in a report that described how the pair traveled toward Andalusia along the A4, soon passing through Valdepeñas and changing direction. They aimed to locate the plot on polygon 97 plot 123 with a purchase and sale dated July 20, 2022 by Antonio Caba.
Caba and Gaspar drove across the farm twice, with Caba slowing to observe whether any officers were inside.
Ready for Judgment
Five days later, on March 8, Caba returned to the farm without a cell phone. Civil Guards reported that his self-talk persisted, a sign of mounting anxiety. The decision was made to register the farm. At 10:48, Caba spoke aloud, stating that the moment had become ready to face punishment.
On March 14, Civil Guard officers searched the farm. Gaspar and Caba were present. A civilian guard seized a firearm from Caba before entering, and Isla’s body was found in a well. Gaspar and Caba were arrested. The retired gambler initially confessed that Caba killed Isla and then sought help disposing of the body and the car. A promised payment of 25,000 euros never materialized. Caba refused to testify. Both remained in custody.