Street view solves Spanish mystery: Key clue in photo
The Google Maps photo in the spherical Street View played an important role in solving a disappearance case in Spain. The photograph depicts a man by the open trunk of a car, which helped the police determine the subsequent stages of the case.
This Street View photo was instrumental in solving the disappearance, as reported by BBC and The New York Times. In the "street" photo, a person is seen loading a large object into a car trunk. Another photo shows someone transporting a large white package on a wheelbarrow. The police noticed a connection between these two situations, which helped solve the case that later revealed a crime.
The Spanish national police reported that part of the missing person's remains was found in a cemetery in the province of Soria. Advanced technical means were used to locate them. One of the clues was images from a location-searching application discovered during the investigation. This Google Street View photo was directly related to the crime.
This is not the first time that Google Maps photos have assisted law enforcement. In January 2022, it was announced that after 20 years, with the help of Street View, the boss of the Italian mafia was arrested, interestingly, also in Spain. This refers to Gioacchino Gammino, who had escaped from a prison in Rome.
The police then focused on details available from Google Maps, and Gammino was identified based on a distinctive scar. Further identity confirmation was obtained through photos from the restaurant's fan page where he worked. Gammino is not the only criminal previously identified thanks to the internet. Even earlier, another mafia member was identified thanks to a video posted on YouTube.
