Civil Guards uncovered human remains on a farm in Valdepeñas, Ciudad Real, during an operation aimed at locating Juan Miguel Isla, a businessman who has been missing since the previous summer. The discovery was made in the bottom of a well on the property, according to information from the investigation unit of Prensa Ibérica and the program Caso Abierto. Following the find, the farm owner, Antonio Caba Vázquez, was detained as a person of interest, and a second man is being considered in connection with the case.
Divers from the Civil Guard’s Special Group for Underwater Activities are working at the site to recover the remains. The bones will be transported to the laboratory for analysis. The investigation continues as authorities pursue additional leads.
One million euros
The new stage of reconnaissance follows the action of officials from the Central Operating Unit who are handling the case, which is being examined by the Manzanares 2nd Investigating Court. The Central Eye Examination Team is taking part, along with the Mountain Group of the Civil Guard, in the operation to gather evidence and piece together the sequence of events that led to Isla’s disappearance.
Juan Miguel Isla, 58, who was separated and has two children, vanished on July 22, 2022, after leaving his town for a business meeting. He had travelled from Playa de San Juan in Alicante to Manzanares, where he resided with his partner, to attend the appointment and discuss a sale of a farm valued at about one million euros. Investigators say Isla’s plans may have involved a substantial cash component, with reports indicating a cash sum of fifty thousand euros. Neither Isla nor the money appeared again.
Agent, suspect
Isla’s Renault Clio was found abandoned on the outskirts of the town on January 25. After Caso Abierto publicized the story and the Civil Guard appealed for public cooperation to solve the mystery, the involved agent provided a statement as a witness to authorities. He acknowledged having met Isla but claimed that Isla left unharmed at the time of their encounter.
Jesús María González Borrajo, 55, disappeared on June 19, 2019. The status of his case remains open.
The Civil Guard Central Operations Unit is also probing the disappearance of another individual connected to the same vehicle in Manzanares. Local sources indicate the person was a businessman who disappeared after selling two luxury Mercedes cars for an amount around fourteen thousand euros on June 19, 2019. Reports suggest that the same man who later aided Juan Miguel Isla in arranging the sale of his family’s farm may have acted as an intermediary in that earlier transaction, raising questions about possible links between the two cases. The investigation continues as authorities seek to establish a clear timeline and identify any further connections among those involved in the events surrounding Isla and the related disappearance cases.