Seven mastiffs on the farm
Two Civil Guard cars, one in camouflage, drew the attention of residents in Montouto, Teo, around midday on Monday as officers searched the area, focusing on a chalet tied to a case that shocked Compostela a decade ago. The tale centers on a girl adopted by a couple who formed a family in China in 2001, and whose life intertwined with a well-known legal saga in Galicia. The parents, Rosario Porto Ortega and journalist Alfonso Basterra Camporro, would later take their own lives on September 21, 2013, in a moment that left a lasting imprint on Santiago’s memory.
Over ten years, media coverage and court proceedings chronicled a case that led to twenty-year prison sentences for both parents after it emerged that the child, Asunta, had been given high doses of lorazepam to calm her and to aid a plan to end her life. Her body was found at dawn on September 22 on a forest path in Cacheiras, Teo. Explanations for the sequence of events have remained unclear, despite various theories. Alfonso Basterra serves his sentence in Teixeiro, while Rosario Porto, who died by suicide in 2020 in Brieva prison, never admitted culpability and consistently asserted innocence.
According to court findings, Asunta was killed by strangulation after being sedated, left defenseless by the heavy medications administered earlier. The crime scene was the family chalet once associated with Rosario’s parents, remembered by lawyer Francisco Porto and USC professor Socorro Ortega, located in Montouto, Teo.
Civil Guard units arrived at the site yesterday, but sources said the intent of the visit did not relate to the Asunta case. Officers conducted the arrest of a resident living illegally in a semi-abandoned dwelling near the chalet after Rosario Porto’s 2013 imprisonment. The police confirmed that an arrest and detention order had been executed this Monday for reasons not disclosed. When the officers reached the chalet, the person was not present, prompting a waiting period until the individual appeared. Once located, the person was arrested and taken to Teixeiro prison. (Source: EL CORREO)
Additionally, seven large mastiffs were reported living on the property with illegal tenants. Some animals escaped from the grounds, and police noted that Civil Protection units recovered them and returned them to the house. Neighbours contacted by this publication described previous escapes and even said the dogs sometimes attacked the farm’s chickens. Police sources added that there is evidence of past escapes of a Celtic-breed pig, later captured by Civil Protection teams. (Source: EL CORREO)
Teo’s house, photographed in a state of disrepair and littered with rubbish, has a long, contested history. The farm currently sits on the property controlled by María Teresa Sampedro, known in the circle as La Nena, a close confidant of the Porto-Orega couple and Charo. She remained in close contact with them during the period of their imprisonment in Galician facilities. Sampedro Porto received a substantial share of the Ortega family estate, including an apartment on Rua Xeneral Pardiñas and a renovated house on Doutor Teixeiro street, plus a summer apartment in Vilanova de Arousa and a Montouto chalet rented via Airbnb. (Source: EL CORREO)
Recent court records indicate La Nena has opposed occupation and pushed for the eviction of illegal occupants as soon as possible. As reported by EL CORREO a year ago, her aim is to clear the property, though occupancy presents a hurdle for any sale or transfer to proceed smoothly. (Source: EL CORREO)
A close friend of the family
Scrap metal piled on the plot reflects ongoing neglect on the terrain. The condition of Teo’s house has been described as deteriorating, matching the long period of strain experienced by those tied to the case. The estate remains tied to the wider family circle, attracting attention from neighbors and investigators alike. (Source: EL CORREO)
In sum, the Montouto site continues to symbolize a chapter of Galicia’s recent history, where past decisions and unresolved questions persist alongside current legal and administrative actions. The community, authorities, and those close to the case continue to monitor developments as new steps unfold at the semi-abandoned property and the surrounding grounds. (Source: EL CORREO)