The burnt remains of a body found in Mijas, Malaga, in April are believed to be that of a 57-year-old Irish man, according to reports in the local media.
The remains were so badly burnt detectives could only identify the man through the recovery of the serial number of a prosthetic knee found at the scene.
The Guardía Civil, who are leading the investigation have not officially identified the body, but they are believed to have contacted the gardaí in relation to the matter.
A Garda spokesman told The Irish Timesthat Spanish authorities are liaising with a number of European police forces including the Gardaí in relation to the man's identity.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said they were providing consular assistance to the family of the man.
Further details about the man’s death have not been made available.
The remains were discovered on April 12th by a passerby who spotted smoke coming from a waste-water pipe near a football ground in Las Mijas. On closer inspection the person noticed it was a burnt human body and alerted the Guardía Civil.
According to local newspaper Diario Sur, the remains were in such a deteriorated state that police believe the killers used petrol as an accelerant in a bid to cover their trace. All that remained of the body was the skull and part of the torso which made identification practically impossible.
Police discovered part of prosthetic knee at the scene and traced the serial number to a Swedish factory who supplied the piece for an operation at a clinic in the United Kingdom almost a decade ago. The investigation then stalled as the clinic had been closed for years.
However, according to local media, Spanish police later came across a report via Interpol filed by the man’s daughter in the UK saying the missing Irish citizen had travelled to Spain around the same time the body was discovered in Mijas.
It appears the woman confirmed her father had had an operation on his knee at the same clinic over 10 years ago as a result of a skiing accident.
In her statement the daughter said her father had gone shopping in Gibraltar and that he would return a couple of days later to Ireland. He is also thought to have visited the Málaga area, as his girlfriend reported his disappearance to police on April 16th in Torremolinos. He was seen alive was April 11th in Mijas.
When contacted by The Irish Timesa Guardía Civil spokesman said he could not comment as the investigation is ongoing.
