Civil Guard officers arrested a man, 35, who had been living with his grandmother’s body for months in the Madrid municipality of Ciempozuelos. Sources from Civil Guard Command confirmed to Efe that the deceased was found at the home on a street in Ciempozuelos after a lengthy period during which the man continued his daily routine and remained in the family residence.
According to the newspaper El Mundo, the granddaughter did not report the grandmother’s death, and investigators are examining whether the situation involved a motive tied to pension collection. Authorities are pursuing this as part of their ongoing inquiry into possible financial aspects connected to the case.
The body of the deceased, who appears to have died from natural causes several months earlier, was discovered last Thursday when an officer noticed a strong odor while passing by the residence. That detection prompted a formal inspection of the property and a careful examination of the living arrangements inside.
Ciempozuelos police, who were already familiar with the address, went to the scene and knocked on the door. The grandson opened the door and initially reassured the officers that his grandmother was not at home, attempting to deflect suspicion and maintain routine, as if nothing unusual were happening.
However, once inside and upon a thorough evaluation of the property, the investigators detected a persistent, overpowering odor that revealed something deeply troubling. They located the woman’s body lying on a bed in one of the rooms, in an advanced state of decomposition, which indicated a long absence of signs of life in the household.
Forensic specialists and the judicial panel conducted an exhumation at the address and concluded that the woman had been dead for at least two months. This finding suggests that the death could have occurred earlier in the current year, aligning with the time frame required for the investigation to consider potential neglect and related charges.
As the investigation progressed, the authorities detained the grandson on suspicion of involvement in a crime connected to the family’s welfare. The arrest centers on alleged acts tied to the failure to report the death and other possible misdeeds linked to the maintenance of the household and the management of a pension or other benefits that might have been affected during the period in which the grandmother remained undiscovered.
The case has drawn attention to how a long period of concealment within a family residence can complicate the detection of a loved one’s death. It also raises questions about how pension-related benefits are monitored and claimed when an elderly family member is living in the same home but not actively communicating with others outside the household. Authorities emphasize the importance of timely reporting and monitoring in situations where an elderly person may be unable to advocate for themselves, and they stress that legal processes will determine the full scope of responsibility and appropriate charges.