A woman and her 12-year-old daughter have been found dead inside their home in Castellon in what authorities are investigating as a violent double killing.
It is the latest suspected domestic abuse killing to rock Spain, following this week’s fatal stabbing of a nurse in Benicassim, allegedly by her ex, and the recent brutal murder of British expat Victoria Hart on the Costa del Sol.
The bodies in Castellon were discovered on Tuesday in a property near the town hall and Policia Local station of Xilxes.
After receiving an alert about a possible double crime, patrols from the Guardia Civil and the Local Police rushed to the scene.
Xilxes mayor Ismael Minguet confirmed that officers from the Guardia Civil remain at the property as investigations continue.
Known to authorities
Both victims – the mother and her daughter, a sixth-year primary school pupil – were deaf, as is the father and former partner of the woman.
The woman was originally from the Plana Baixa area and authorities were already familiar with the family.
Both the Guardia Civil and Local Police had previously intervened in several incidents of domestic and gender-based violence involving the couple.
According to local reports, the father has been questioned at Xilxes Local Police headquarters.
A restraining order was in force against him, prohibiting him from approaching or contacting his former partner and daughter by any means.
The mother and child were registered in Spain’s VioGen system – the national monitoring system for victims of gender violence – and were protected by a 300-metre restraining order in place until 2027.
Timeline under scrutiny
During initial questioning, the man reportedly claimed he was in Valencia when he received a message alerting him that something had happened, prompting him to travel to Xilxes.
Investigators are examining this account, which reportedly contains inconsistencies.
One of the main working hypotheses is that the case may represent another suspected gender-based killing, coming just one day after a separate fatal incident in Benicassim, and weeks after the slaying of British expat Victoria Hart on the Costa del Sol.
Police confirmed that the first responding officers required the assistance of a sign language interpreter to communicate with the father due to his hearing disability.
Early indications suggest the mother and daughter had been dead for several hours before the bodies were discovered.
The investigation remains ongoing as forensic teams continue their work at the scene.
