Murder investigation in Spain after body of missing Belfast man found | Spain

A murder investigation is under way in Spain after the body of a 37-year-old man from Northern Ireland was found three weeks after he went missing.

John George from Belfast, a father of two children, was in Spain for a short visit in December but the alarm was raised when he failed to board a flight home on 18 December.

Darren George, his brother, said his parents were “two broken people”. “They will never get over this, none of us will get over it,” he added.

“We will be OK, John’s at rest … we’re not, we’ll never be at rest,” he told BBC Northern Ireland.

A 32-year-old man was arrested shortly after the discovery of the body on Tuesday, with an extension for his detention granted on Wednesday night. Local reports said the Guardia Civil was investigating whether another suspect, from Northern Ireland, had fled to Thailand.

The body was discovered 45 minutes south of Alicante, after a party of up to 50 people, including George’s parents, two sisters, uncles, cousins and other relatives and friends, had travelled to Spain to search in the Alicante area.

Also joining the search on New Year’s Day was a volunteer canine search team, K9 Search and Rescue, from Northern Ireland. They returned home at the weekend.

On a social media post, George’s sister Courtney said: “My body is numb and my heart is broken. You have taken my brother’s life and ruined mine – you have put us through hell.

“I hope who has done this on my family, John’s face haunts them every night.”

Darren George said the last three weeks had been a “living nightmare”. “There are no words to describe what we’ve been going through as a family,” he told BBC News Northern Ireland.

He said the search party had scoured mountains, drainpipes and sewers. “I’ve done everything in my power to find my brother and it’s absolutely heartbreaking,” he said.

The family’s lawyer, Kevin Winters, said George’s father had received a call on Tuesday from the Spanish police to confirm a body had been found.

According to reports in Spanish media, the body was found in trees near Rojales, 45 minutes south of Alicante.

George travelled to Alicante in mid-December but the last contact he had with family was on 14 December, during what was described as a “distressing” call. He was reported missing four days later.