Investigations by the Civil Guard have confirmed that the corpse found floating in waters near Arico last Saturday belongs to Laura Gastón, a 66-year-old woman of Belgian nationality who resided in Adeje and had been missing since at least April 24.
The preliminary autopsy report conducted on the body at the Legal Medicine Institute (IML) in Santa Cruz de Tenerife confirmed that the individual died a violent death of a homicidal nature.
During the afternoon of April 27, the remains of a woman were found in the water, off the neighbourhoods of La Jaca and La Listada in southeast Tenerife. According to reports, the corpse was missing both legs and one hand.
Furthermore, when discovered, the body was in an advanced state of decomposition, indicating that death had occurred several days earlier.
Civil Guard agents who were able to view the corpse noted that it had a yellow plastic bag tied over its head and face.
The poster released by the SOS Missing Persons organization on April 26 described Laura Gastón as a woman 1.65 meters tall, of medium build, with short grey hair and blue eyes.
At the same time, the mentioned NGO reported that a man had also disappeared in Adeje, 71 years old, identified as Marc Francis.
Since the woman’s body was discovered, agents from the Crimes against Persons Team of the Judicial Police Organic Unit (UOPJ) of the Civil Guard in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, along with the Territorial Team of the Judicial Police in Southern Tenerife, are conducting investigations to determine how and where Gastón’s violent death occurred, as well as who was responsible.
Photographic documentation and examination of the remains found in Arico were carried out by agents from the Criminalistics Laboratory of the Armed Institute. A forensic doctor from the Legal Medicine Institute proceeded with the removal of the body.
