One fatal stab wound struck at the heart. This blade attack ended the life of a woman whose body was found this past Thursday inside a suitcase concealed on a deserted property on Espedrigada Street, in Balaídos (Vigo). The preliminary autopsy conducted by the Vigo subdirectorate of Imelga confirmed a homicide and offered additional details aimed at identifying the victim. The examination placed the age roughly in the 50s, though certain indicators suggest she could have been younger.
More analysis
In light of the findings, bone samples were sent to the Forensic Anthropology Unit in Verín, led by Dr. Fernando Serrulla. Several finger phalanges and other remains were also forwarded, this time to the Madrid Institute of Toxicology, to reconstruct fingerprints and aid in confirming the victim’s identity.
Defensive wounds
Due to advanced decomposition and putrefaction, the forensic team could not determine whether the woman suffered defensive injuries indicating a struggle with the assailant or other marks of a broader attack. It was also confirmed how long the body had been in place, estimated at six to eight months, compatible with the current state of the corpse.
Since August
A neighbor living next to the property where the suitcase was found recalled that the brown-gray suitcase first appeared in August. Another nearby resident noted that the suitcase initially sat in a building entryway, eventually moving outside to a spot the residents described as a makeshift dump. The victim’s physique is difficult to assess due to decay, though she was described as very short in stature. The suitcase was found with the body fully flexed inside, indicating the killer or killers were able to insert her body without disassembling it, contrary to earlier speculation that suggested dismemberment.
This was the only procedural step taken thus far, as the Vigo Investigation Court Number 4 continues to work toward identifying the victim to request further evidence.
No reports
Since the discovery of the corpse this past Thursday, there have been no incoming missing-person reports registered with the court. The Vigo Police have at least two active disappearance cases involving women: Manuela Barbosa (July 2021) and Esther Moro (September 2022). In Portugal, authorities have been searching since August for a 33-year-old woman who disappeared just a couple of hours from Vigo, but the case appears not to align with the victim’s described characteristics. Available information indicates that around 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, a delivery worker noticed the suitcase and dozens of worms, along with a strong odor, beside the clearly wrapped package in film. This prompted the worker and nearby residents to alert the emergency number 112.
The forensic and judicial police found the body inside the suitcase—posed with the legs bent, partially unclothed, and a piece of fabric, likely a shirt, covering the head. The autopsy confirmed homicide as the cause of death.