In a remarkable turn of events, a Google Street View image played a crucial role in solving a missing person investigation in Spain, as reported by the BBC and The New York Times. The image, which is still visible on Street View, depicts what appears to be a person loading a large object into the trunk of a car. Another image showed someone “transporting a large white bundle in a wheelbarrow,” according to the BBC.

Spanish National Police:

The Spanish National Police have confirmed that part of the human remains of the missing person were found buried in a cemetery in a town in the province of Soria. Advanced technical means were employed to locate the remains.

One of the clues that investigators utilized, although not decisive, was some images detected during the investigations in a location search application.

This is the Google Street View image allegedly linked to the crime.

While the press release does not explicitly name the location application used, a spokesperson for the Spanish National Police confirmed to The New York Times that it was Google Maps. The spokesperson also stated, “The image was not the key to solving the case.”

Authorities were investigating the case of a 33-year-old man who disappeared last year while visiting a partner in Tajueco, Soria, according to the Spanish outlet El País. Police arrested a woman and her ex-partner in connection with the crime in November.