Police search house of man suspected of murdering missing partner

Mossos d'Esquadra police are searching the house of a man arrested over the death of his partner, who is still missing, in La Morera de Montsant, a town in Priorat, southern Catalonia.

Police are looking for evidence or clues that could help them find the victim's body and solve the case.

The 53-year-old man was arrested in Barcelona on Tuesday after police found evidence that goes against his alibi.

The police suspects that the murder took place on July 20 or 21, 2022, and then the man hid the body in a nearby wooded area.

The investigation began in August 2022, when the family reported the disappearance of the 44-year-old woman.

The Missing Persons Unit of the Catalan police took over the case, as the circumstances suggested it could be a criminal disappearance.

Recent analysis of the suspect's phone seemingly helped disprove alibi and "discredit contradictions that have now been proven false."

Another key development in the investigation was that the arrested man had possessions belonging to the victim months after her disappearance, "items she would not have left behind under normal circumstances."

The suspected killer is being held in temporary custody without bail and the investigation is ongoing.

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