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The rainwater tank where the bag with the skull was found. SUR Investigation Malaga skull mystery solved as DNA identifies man missing since 2020 lockdownForensic experts confirm remains found in an Alhaurín de la Torre water tank belong to Francisco José Agüera as police launch a murder probe
Málaga
Thursday, 12 February 2026, 11:13
The Guardia Civil have determined that the skull found in a rainwater tank in Malaga province in June 2025 belonged to a man who disappeared in during the Covid pandemic.
Francisco José Agüera, originally from Coín, had been missing since the pandemic, when he was 59 years old. His skull was found wrapped in a plastic bag in a rainwater tank in Alhaurín de la Torre on 4 June last year.
Municipal workers discovered the remains and alerted the Guardia Civil, who opened an investigation. Nine months after the macabre discovery, the scope of the investigation narrows thanks to forensic science and DNA identification. The skull still had teeth, which might have been key in the process.
The new phase of the investigation will focus on the cause of death.
The next phase of the investigation will focus on the cause of death. The main hypothesis is clear: Francisco José Agüera was murdered and the perpetrator(s) disposed of his remains.