An engineer who documented the owner of a bouncy castle incident in Mislata on January 4 is under scrutiny after the death of two girls, Vera and Cayetana, aged 4 and 8. The events unfolded as eleven children were present at the time. The official notes indicate that an inspector visited the fairgrounds on the spot and that the rest of the fairgrounds had been monitored by the inspector’s mobile device, which was left at Elche, where his professional office is located. He argued that this absence of a photo was the reason for the lack of visual evidence in the responsible disclosure report. He did not provide a photograph to support his explanation.
Accusations and timelines became muddled when it appeared he may have been explaining that he was in Mislata even as the audit took place on December 2, rather than December 3. The fair had been set up for a month prior to the accident. An initial plan had the municipal technician accompany him to the fairground, but the professional claimed to be in Xàtiva for another visit on day three.
Expert witness José Pablo BL admitted that he answered only his lawyer’s questions during testimony, while police reports cast doubt on his claim of being in Mislata on December 2. The investigation mentions geolocation data suggesting the engineer’s phone connected to Elche-based Valencia antennas during December 2 and the following days, with a later connection a month later on January 7, the same day that homicide investigators were summoned to testify about the fatal incident that occurred three days earlier. These details were reported by Levante-EMV, a newspaper owned by the same media group.
Serious indictment against murder
The engineer under investigation asserted in court that he left his cell phone in Elche while claiming to report from Mislata, though the records did not clearly document this assertion. He also failed to explain why he eventually signed a document that did not contain these crucial details.
Because of this gap, special prosecutors expressed doubts about his version of events and requested that the head of the Homicide Squad appear as a witness. The report’s author is being questioned about whether the engineer visited the site as claimed or concealed part of the truth. There is suspicion that the engineer did not report to the fairgrounds in Mislata on the day he said he inspected the attractions.
First time in court
The legal owner of the castle and the other involved parties, Alejandro CS and his father-in-law José Antonio MA, appeared in court for the first time as part of the criminal proceedings for reckless murders.
All three chose to point fingers at the Mislata City Council, although the only person who seemed to accept responsibility for the town hall and fairgrounds was the engineer himself. The hearing was scheduled at 11:30 to minimize media presence outside the courthouse, but the engineer testified before 10:30, making a brief appearance before the day’s events began in earnest.
Owner of the damaged castle: “I did not supervise the ropes because the weather was very nice that day”
Both the barn owner and his father-in-law arrived later, with the former’s lawyer attending another hearing in the City of Justice in Valencia. The statements then proceeded in the early afternoon with all parties represented, including the judge, the prosecutor, and the private attorneys for the families of Vera and Cayetana, as well as the three defenses.
Who laid the strings?
One tense moment occurred when the prosecutor asked stall owners about the anchors for the inflatable boat. Witnesses testified that there were no strong anchors on the right side; winds had supposedly caused it to capsize. They maintained that the attraction was anchored and not dismantled on a daily basis. The defense stated, “We deflate and inflate every day, but we don’t take it apart.”
The prosecutor then asked to view a video recorded by a neighbor across the fairground, taken minutes after the incident as ambulances arrived. Yet, when the National Police arrived, they reportedly saw strings laid on the ground. Alexander later claimed that he removed the ropes to save the castle, a statement that contradicts witness accounts. After watching the footage, he admitted, “I didn’t supervise the ropes because the weather was so nice that day.”
The scene showed further inconsistencies. The prosecutor noted that yesterday a clerk cleaned Vera’s blood from the area where she fell and that it was treated by health professionals. When first testifying, Alejandro blamed SAMU for the cleanup, a claim contradicted by medical responders. That night, two different agents observed him moving over a bloody area, and the floor was soon cleaned.
Video of a neighbor recorded immediately after the accident shows no right-side tie where the inflatable boat was lifted
The defense could not explain the absence of the right-side anchors and why the castle was not dismantled before winds of up to 53.2 km/h rose. They were also asked about the presence of a supposed “ghost” employee who reportedly issued tickets and monitored facility use. Thirteen witnesses confirmed the absence of that individual.
Vera’s family’s lawyer, Mr. Carbó, stated that the testimony aimed to clarify all unknowns. He argued that the rest of the attraction and the fairgrounds were not built in accordance with the project approved by the Municipality of Mislata, and he questioned whether the engineer actually conducted the investigation from Elche, according to police cell phone analysis. He also pressed on matters such as the workforce and their employment status at the time of the incident.