Two suspects were arrested in Alicante following a violent kidnapping and a homicide that involved a young man of Algerian nationality. Police reported that the mother and son, aged 81 and 40 respectively, allegedly tortured the victim for more than fifteen hours and communicated with the victim’s family through social networks to demand a 30,000 euro ransom. Investigators determined that the argument over a debt preceded fatal head injuries that proved life-threatening. While the victim suffered, the suspects allegedly sought further video footage to pressure the family, with the mother later calling for emergency medical help. The suspects claimed they found the victim in the state described when authorities arrived at the residence. The man died within twenty-four hours after arriving at the General Hospital.
The police concluded that the two accused—an 81-year-old woman and her 40-year-old son—are the primary suspects in the murder of an 18-year-old man who was kidnapped and subjected to extensive abuse for fifteen hours. The victim endured cruelty until he was left nearly lifeless and was hospitalized in critical condition. Authorities noted that the relatives of the deceased reportedly faced blackmail tied to exchanged photographs and videos, demanding 30,000 euros as a condition for release.
The severe incident, which occurred last Thursday, September 7, was clarified swiftly thanks to coordinated efforts among city service units and rapid security measures. Police authorities highlighted ongoing protocols for violent crimes and the streamlined response of the stations involved.
The investigation was completed in two days and was led by the Homicide Unit and the First Organized Crime Group, both part of the Alicante Provincial Judicial Police Brigade. They collaborated with the Central Police Station’s Operational Response Groups and the Alicante Provincial Citizen Security Brigade to advance the case.
Two parallel studies
On the same day, September 7, two parallel investigations were opened by the National Police, each involving the same actors. A report from the Algerian Consulate referenced the potential kidnapping of an Algerian resident in the city. Relatives of the alleged victim who were abroad alerted the consulate after receiving videos and photographs via social networks, which they used to pressure for the victim’s release. The images showed the victim lying injured on the floor while a mop covered his face, and a 30,000 euro ransom was demanded.
Judicial Police investigators began by verifying the victim’s situation and attempting to locate the victim’s address to confirm the facts since no address details were provided in the initial statement.
In the late afternoon, responders were called to the residence where a man living there appeared badly injured with severe bleeding and multiple cuts. The scene suggested a violent crime, and health services were immediately notified.
There was an image captioned with a knife allegedly used during the torture. The health teams found the victim unconscious with extensive injuries. Two individuals, a woman and her son, claimed to be acquaintances who discovered the victim and summoned medical help.
The first statements from the man at the scene indicated that his mother and he were on holiday in Alicante and staying at another residence. He claimed that the victim’s money and other belongings were stolen by an associate and several others the preceding day, and that the associate phoned early the next day demanding their return. He added that the associate was accompanied by two men unknown to him and that he could not intervene, leaving the victim in the care of those two men. He also mentioned that when he and his mother returned home the following afternoon, they found the victim injured and called for medical assistance. Following this, violent crime protocols were activated and the case was escalated to the Judicial Police Brigade.
Link between two investigations
Two witnesses who knew the victim arrived at the police station, unaware of his situation, and reported seeing a friend’s public social media post showing the victim in distress. They described a roommate who they believed could be involved, noting that the physical characteristics matched the person found in the home. This information helped connect the two investigations and led to the arrest order for the two suspects.
A large number of police teams consolidated at the scene as the investigation progressed. The mother was photographed removing evidence from the floor using a mop, supposedly to erase traces that could incriminate her and her son, who was not at home at that moment.
With further evidence and witness statements, authorities detained the mother immediately and later arrested the son about an hour afterward. The residence was placed under heavy guard as investigators from the judicial commission conducted a thorough visual inspection.
Eye examination and examinations
The detailed visual inspection of the crime scene yielded clear indications about the sequence of events, aligning with the hypotheses developed by forensic experts. Blood stains were present throughout the house and on furniture, including a bed turned over as investigators sought to uncover hidden traces of the victim. The videos and photos sent to the family showed the victim at the scene, with the mop on the face and the alleged perpetrator in view, consistent with the initial investigative theory.
The discovery of the arrested woman’s clothing in the footage, the victim’s documents torn and concealed in the bathroom, and the knife used in torture supported the investigation’s narrative. The medical team later confirmed that the victim died after suffering a severe head injury, with injuries scattered across the body and organs, including the liver and lungs.
Fatal injuries
The hospital reported the death approximately twenty-four hours after admission. The head trauma, described as a blunt-force impact, caused bleeding and cerebral edema that led to organ failure. The body also showed numerous cuts and contusions, illustrating a cruel and prolonged period of abuse.
Hypothesis regarding the chronology of the event
Early indicators suggested a two-day dispute between the victim and the accused over a vehicle and retrieved belongings, with differing keys to the home complicating the scene. Eye witnesses observed the accused berating the victim as demands to return items were ignored. In the early morning, the accused allegedly returned to the victim’s residence to seize belongings, a moment that likely sparked the violent turn and resulting injuries.
Over the next fifteen hours, investigators believe the suppression of evidence involved disseminating explicit images to pressure the family, exposing the victim to disrespect and humiliation. When the victim became unresponsive, the mother and son allegedly attempted to conceal the crime, contacting health services under the pretense that they had found him in distress.
A 40-year-old man and his 81-year-old mother, both Algerian nationals, were charged with murder, kidnapping, and privacy crimes in the Alicante area. The man faced immediate imprisonment, while the woman was remanded after court proceedings.