She stopped posting pictures on social networks and communicating with friends on April 4. Thiem went missing in April as she was walking the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route in northwestern Spain. The arrest, and the discovery of the body, came after about 300 Spanish officers searched the area where Thiem, who is from Arizona, was last seen on April 5 in the town of Astorga. James Way, after being arrested on Friday in Asturias, reports The New York Times. tourist Denise Pikka Thiem who went missing this Spring.Ī government spokesman says Miguel Angel Munoz took investigators to his farm near the Camino de Santiago, also called St. Spanish police say that the arrest of a 39-year-old man on Friday led them to the body of U.S. The victim’s body was found thanks to the defendant’s indications.”Įnglish version by Nick Lyne and Simon Hunter.Murder suspect: Spanish police say Miguel Angel Munoz, 39, led them to the body of a missing U.S. And she suffered a savage surprise attack. Denise was a slight woman, 1.55 meters tall, a foreigner in an unfamiliar spot. “This is a case of murder because there was malice. “Muñoz is going to lie to you, because he has lied in the past,” said the prosecutor at the beginning of the trial. Muñoz refused to testify during the trial, saying: “I’m not going to answer any questions, neither from the prosecution or from my lawyer.” Later, the suspect retracted his confession, with his lawyer claiming that Muñoz had been pressured by the police into confessing. “He even boasted that if it hadn’t been for him, we wouldn’t have found it,” said one expert witness. “We wouldn’t have found the body if he had not told us where it was,” said the Astorga police chief who headed the investigation. The 41-year-old victim is believed to have taken a detour and became lost on her way back to the main road “At one point, he crouched down and began to cry, whimpering, ‘What have I done?’” Another police officer revealed that during his interrogation Muñoz agreed to take them to the spot where he had buried Thiem, saying: “Calm down, calm down, I’ll take you there.” Police witnesses during the trial said that Muñoz broke down in tears while under interrogation. After his arrest in September 2015, the prosecution was facilitated by Muñoz’s immediate confession of the crime. The media coverage of McCain’s offer led the Spanish police to launch a massive search operation that led to Muñoz’s arrest within days. A photo of Denise Pikka Thiem while on the Camino de Santiago pilgrim trail. Two other women who also walked the pilgrimage trail had previously reported being assaulted along the same stretch of road by a man matching Muñoz’s description. Her body was located in September 2015, after the search was renewed following public revelations that US Senator John McCain had offered Spain help from the FBI to solve the case – an offer Spain ultimately refused. Her hands were later cut off and never been found. Other women have reported being harassed in the same area.Īn autopsy report found that Pikka Thiem was beaten with a stick, then finished off with a knife wound to her throat. He is believed to have placed this phony marker himself to lure pilgrims. The 41-year-old victim is believed to have taken a detour and became lost on her way back to the main road because she followed a yellow arrow – used to indicate the official route – that took her down another path leading to Muñoz’s home. Prosecutors say Thiem was murdered the same day she went missing while walking alone along a stretch in León between Astorga and El Ganso. The prosecutor has called for 25 years in prison, while the private prosecution wants 27
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