Spain has been rocked by a series of brutal domestic violence incidents in less than 24 hours, leaving two people dead – including a three-year-old girl – and another woman narrowly escaping an attempted killing.
Authorities are now investigating all three cases as gender-based violence, in what officials have described as one of the darkest days of the year so far.
Three-year-old killed in suspected ‘violencia vicaria’
The most shocking case unfolded in Torrevieja (Alicante), where a three-year-old girl was allegedly killed by her father, who then took his own life.
According to the Guardia Civil, the child’s mother had gone to a police station late on Friday night to report threats from her ex-partner.
She told officers he had threatened to kill their daughter if she did not end her current relationship.
When officers arrived at the man’s home, they found both the father and the child dead, hanging in the basement of the property.
The case is being investigated as violencia vicaria – a form of gender violence in which children are harmed to cause suffering to their mother.
Spain’s Government delegate in the Valencian Community, Pilar Bernabe, described this form of violence as ‘the most cruel and extreme’, adding that it amounts to ‘atrocious terrorism.’
‘It kills children in order to hurt women,’ she said, warning that society must not treat gender violence as a private, family matter.
Local authorities in Torrevieja have organised psychological support for the mother and her family, and a minute of silence has been called for Sunday.
Woman shot dead in Zaragoza
Just hours later, a second tragedy unfolded in Zaragoza.
A woman was shot dead in the Las Fuentes neighbourhood at around 9:20am. The suspected gunman – her former partner – then turned the weapon on himself.
Police confirmed the pair had ended their relationship months earlier. There had been no previous reports of abuse, meaning the victim was not part of Spain’s VioGen monitoring system.
Investigators believe the man deliberately sought her out.
‘He knew her movements and went to meet her with the intention of killing her,’ said the Government delegate in Aragon, Fernando Beltran, who described the attack as ‘extremely cruel.’
The weapon used was legally owned for sporting purposes. A minute of silence has also been called in Zaragoza.
Attempted killing in Barcelona
In a third case, a man was arrested in Les Franqueses del Valles (Barcelona) after allegedly setting fire to a home while a woman was inside.
Emergency services responded at around 11.30pm on Friday, with firefighters extinguishing the blaze shortly before midnight. The woman survived, but the apartment was destroyed.
The case is also being treated as gender-based violence, with police investigating the suspect’s intent to kill.
Rising toll in 2026
With these cases, the number of women killed by partners or ex-partners in Spain this year has risen to 14 – already more than double the figure at the same point in 2025.
Three minors have also been killed, matching the total for the whole of last year.
Officials warn the figures point to a worsening trend.
‘This is a social scourge,’ Beltran added. ‘It stems from the belief that women are possessions – and that if they cannot be controlled, they are destroyed.’
