Malaga investigators discard implausible alibi of murdered woman's son and arrest him

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The young man told the police that he had not seen the victim for 24 hours because he had slept in the car the night before discovering the body

Irene Quirante and María José Díaz Alcalá

Thursday, 16 April 2026, 12:10

The investigation into the murder of 66-year-old Edurne, who her son found dead in her home in the Malaga province town of Cártama in March, has led to the arrest of the 25-year-old man himself and his partner.

While the police have not revealed the extent of the young woman's alleged involvement, Edurne's adopted son has been the prime suspect almost since the beginning of the investigation. The reason: an implausible alibi that raised doubts among the Guardia Civil investigators.

At midday on 2 March, Edurne's son reported that he had found his mother's body in the family home in the Sierra Llana area. Upon arrival, the emergency teams could only confirm the woman's death. She had suffered a severe head injury, allegedly caused by a blunt object.

From the outset, the young man's alibi raised suspicions. Although he lived with his mother, he said that he hadn't seen her since the day before discovering the body. According to his initial testimony, he couldn't sleep the night before the crime, so he decided to go out in the early hours of the morning to walk the dog.

The young man stated that later, instead of going back inside the house, he had chosen to sleep in his car, which was parked in the driveway.

His story continued with inconsistent details. He said that he had seen the water delivery man arrive in the morning and that he himself had brought the bottles into the house, without encountering his mother. He then allegedly went to a supermarket.

According to his account, he found his mother when he returned, after which he immediately called the emergency services.

From the outset, the Guardia Civil suspected that the detainee might have tried to stage a violent robbery to divert attention. In his emergency calls and statements, the young man stated that he had found the house ransacked and reported the alleged disappearance of several pieces of jewellery.

When the police arrived at the crime scene, the young man was at a neighbour's house, where he had sought refuge in a highly anxious state.

Although robbery was considered a possibility, the investigators never ruled out the son's direct involvement due to inconsistencies in his statements and behaviour. After a month and a half of investigation, the Guardia Civil arrested him and his partner.

Edurne was 66 years old and originally from the Basque Country, although she had lived most of her life in Malaga province, where she worked at Hospital Regional. After adopting her son, she moved to the Cártama health centre.

She had retired just over a year ago and had lost her husband about eight months prior, so investigators ruled out gender-based violence from the outset.

"Her son was everything to her. They would go out together and she would tell me: 'I have the best son in the world'," a neighbour and friend of the victim told SUR after the discovery of her body.

According to sources, Edurne and her husband adopted the young man when he was seven years old. He was still living with his mother