The narrative centers on Julia Salvador Viciana and a sequence of events that began in Terrassa in 1968 and culminated years later in a haunting house in the Las Ribes Blaves area near Olesa de Montserrat. After her release from Brians prison in July 2012, she returned to the home she shared with a partner. Her life, marked by illness, addiction, and a strained family history, seemed to spiral as custody of her only child slipped away. Five months after that return, in November 2012, Julia disappeared, and for a long time she did not reappear in the lives of those around her.
Ten years passed before authorities entered the residence again. In March 2022, Civil Guard personnel found a skeleton among Julia’s belongings in the same house. The autopsy identified a severe skull fracture as the probable cause of death. Juanjo, Julia’s brother, was arrested on charges of killing his sister, burying her body in the home, and concealing the crime for a decade.
House
Las Ribes Blaves is a geologically intriguing rocky outcrop within Montserrat Natural Park. Over time it became the site of an isolated settlement that remained disconnected from nearby municipalities, with Olesa as the administrative reference. The dwelling shared by Julia and her brother sits on a hillside, tucked at a bend in the slope, surrounded by walls, and reclaimed by weeds.
The property was once owned by a former partner of Julia who had agreed to a written notice granting her the right to live there. An error in that contract led Julia to eject him and retain the residence. Neighbors indicated that the apparent owner of the property was currently seeking relief in Terrassa.
Fights and screams
Local residents remember Julia as a striking woman who also caused trouble due to her addictions. In her later years, described as frail and aged, some neighbors recall dogs accompanying her as a sign of impending tension. Noise from late morning music, along with loud disputes, became part of the neighborhood soundscape.
The authorities note a troubling pattern: Julia’s son appears in records tied to fraud, drug trafficking, and falsification cases. A visible footprint of her life also appears in municipal records from Terrassa in 2011, where she is listed among candidates associated with movements connected to the period’s political landscape.
Juanjo
The family roots are traced to Andalusia, with the siblings moving to Terrassa in the late 1960s. Juanjo, eight years Julia’s junior, was born in Córdoba while Julia herself was born in Catalonia. The trio—Julia, her ill partner Paco, and Juanjo—moved into the Ribes Blaves home and endured a spartan existence marked by frequent disagreements during the five months between Julia’s breakup with Brians and her disappearance in late 2012. Paco died in May 2013, leaving Juanjo to cope with the aftermath. Neither he nor Paco reported Julia’s absence during those years.
As years passed, chatter about Julia faded into memory, becoming the stuff of rumors rather than evidence. After the pandemic, heightened emotion led Juanjo to threaten a friend with the same fate he allegedly dealt Julia. The friend, listening to an alarming tale, went to the Civil Guard, which began a careful investigation.
Disappearance report
Judicial police from the Barcelona Command told the press that Julia’s last bank transactions date to November 2012, after which no financial trace appeared. Tracking Julia’s son proved more complex than expected due to name changes and multiple placements in reception centers. The son was eventually located and confirmed that he had not heard from his mother since 2012. After hearing the agents’ suspicions, he chose to report the disappearance, enabling the Civil Guard to proceed with a missing person case.
Investigators narrowed the focus to the Ribes Blaves property and the three-well site within the brush. They surmised that such a setting could conceal a crime for a decade.
Operation
In March 2022, Civil Guard divers and climbers, under the direction of seasoned investigators, descended into the home to search each of the wells for Julia’s remains. Juanjo, once described as the eccentric resident of a cluttered house, claimed to have only recently begun cleaning and insisted he bore no responsibility for what awaited beyond an outer cabin.
The lead investigator redirected the operation after this exchange. Dogs were used to search for cadaver traces, and a hidden door emerged beneath a heap of debris among Julia’s possessions. There, wrapped in plastic, lay Julia’s skeletal remains. The discovery exposed a concealed crime, capturing the attention of the authorities.
The Civil Guard noted that Juanjo did not appear surprised by the discovery and did not inquire directly about Julia, who had not been seen for ten years. He offered differing explanations to neighbors, claiming that Julia had left after more trouble with the law. A Martorell court later remanded Juanjo in custody, and he was released on bail before trial. The authorities spoke with Juanjo, who maintained his innocence.