Spanish police have dispelled a gruesome rumour surrounding the discovery of a British expat’s body on the Costa del Sol.
Andrew J W, 65, was found hidden under vegetation in the El Paraíso area of Estepona last Saturday morning.
The popular resident had been missing since August 15, although previous searches in the same area turned up nothing.
Several people told this newspaper that the body was found ‘dismembered’ after having been cut into pieces, insisting that ‘everyone is saying it.’
However, when the Spanish Eye contacted the Policia Nacional, a spokeswoman said: ‘That is a lie, the corpse was not found dismembered.’
She added: ‘Right now we are awaiting the results of the autopsy and therefore cannot say if there has been any criminality involved in his death.
‘The investigation remains ongoing.’
One Brit who walked past the scene told the Spanish Eye: ‘There’s loads of police cars where they’ve found the body, they’ve put up forensic tents, it looks very serious.’
An expat who knew Andrew added: ‘He was getting ready to go back to the UK, he had a dentist appointment and never showed up.’
Friends previously told this paper that they were seriously concerned because he had ‘left behind two cats’ who he ‘adored’, branding his disappearance as ‘very out of character.’
Forensic tents at the scene in El Paraíso (Copyright @thespanisheye)
A renewed search began on Saturday morning (Credit: Protección Civil Estepona)
Authorities searching for body of missing Brit (Credit: Protección Civil)
The affluent area where the corpse was discovered is near to where Andrew was last seen alive.
Investigators had previously searched the area with the help of drones, but dense vegetation made it difficult to locate the body.
The discovery was finally made by the Policia Nacional on Saturday.
