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A body believed to be that of 73 year old British resident Geraldine Ann has been discovered beside a motorway in southern Spain, bringing a long and anxious search to a tragic new stage. Local officials say the find was made under some vegetation close to the A 92 in the municipality of Cúllar, near Granada, just over a mile from the village of Chirivel where she vanished on September 17.

 

Geraldine left her home in Chirivel late at night, dressed only in pyjamas and flip flops, to feed some cats after an argument with her husband, who reported her missing the following day when she did not return. The town hall issued a statement: “We profoundly regret to have to inform you that a body has been found by the A 92 motorway thought to be that of our neighbour Geraldine, pending official confirmation from the authorities.”

 

A large search operation had been under way since her disappearance, using drones and sniffer dogs, and involving volunteers, many of them British expats, as well as specialist mountain rescue teams from the Guardia Civil.

 

In the weeks after she was reported missing the mayor of Chirivel, José Torregrosa Mota, appealed to the community and described Geraldine’s vulnerability: “She suffered from senile dementia and the night she went missing she’d apparently had a small argument with her husband and left home.”

Authorities are awaiting DNA tests to confirm whether the body is indeed Geraldine’s. Police sources say that, at present, her disappearance is not being treated as suspicious.

 

The discovery ends a distressing chapter for family, friends and neighbours who had helped publicise the search widely on social media and through the missing persons organisation SOS Desaparecidos. Chirivel Ayuntamiento expressed its sorrow and gratitude to the emergency services and volunteers that assisted in the efforts.

 

Image: Guardia Civil/Facebook