GUILTY Spain - Denise Thiem, 40, U.S. traveler, Astorga, 4 April 2015

[Beesknees]

Look at what I found... This article is from September 3rd.

http://www.toigoradio.com/noticias/...xuales-a-peregrinas-en-el-camino-de-santiago/

Translated from Spanish -

A 73-year resident in Villaviciosa (Asturias) has been arrested by the Civil Guard Command of Gijon accused of attacking and perform various sexual attacks on women who made the pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago as it passes through the municipality of Villaviciosa . The authorities received the first complain of sexual assault in May 2014, when a German pilgrim age of 23 sent a letter to the Civil Guard, handwritten in English, recounting how she had been surprised by an individual who tried to kiss her as he held her fiercely and performed sexual acts on her in a way she couldn't defend herself. In the same letter, she provided the authorities with all the information that she reminded during the struggle about the complexion, dress and features of the attacker, and the color and brand of a vehicle found parked near the place of facts.

The sexual assaults were repeated in June, when again another German woman, 30 years old, suffered the same sexual assault in the very near place of the woman above. And after these attacks, again another one on 26 August, also a German citizen, the third to report the faxcts.

This led to the Civil Guard, in cooperation with the German Police to investigate the descriptions provided by the victims of the attacks, which coincided in the vehicle details and inthe details of the owner. One day after the last attack, on 27 August this year, the alleged perpetrator was arrested as he tried to approach again to another pilgrim. The Guardia Civil moved him to Villaviciosa headquarters, where he made a statement and was subsequently released. Now is the Court of First Instance and Instruction of Villaviciosa who is responsible for clarifying the facts and determine whether the individual is guilty of sexual assault to pilgrims.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the article there is no reference to the disappearence of Denise Theim. I wonder if this man has something to do with it. He is 73. I wish these women could have overpowered him :gaah:

 

[quietwun]

Villaviciosa is on the northern coast on a different route to Santiago de Compostela, Camino del Norte.

Google told me that it is about 180 km from Villaviciosa to Astorga, so it certainly would be possible for someone with a car to move locations and continue assaults.

Saying that, it is not unknown for pilgrims to switch routes partway, often if they are finding one too busy for their purpose. It is not impossible that Denise changed routes.

Maybe we are looking in all the wrong places? Consensus seemed to be she would not have abandoned the Camino, but maybe she went elsewhere...and north would not be unreasonable. If not north..another route? I knew a few who went to Porto on the Portugese route to finish from there when Camino Frances was busy. Need to check maps of routes that could be reasonable options from the Astorga area.

Just thinking out loud as a past pilgrim who wishes everyday to be back in Spain. Denise has not been found where searches have been, but has anyone heard of searches off her known route?

 

[ZaZara]

Look at what I found... This article is from September 3rd.

http://www.toigoradio.com/noticias/...xuales-a-peregrinas-en-el-camino-de-santiago/

In the article there is no reference to the disappearence of Denise Theim. I wonder if this man has something to do with it. He is 73. I wish these women could have overpowered him :gaah:

RSBM

Villaviciosa is on the northern coast on a different route to Santiago de Compostela, Camino del Norte.

Google told me that it is about 180 km from Villaviciosa to Astorga, so it certainly would be possible for someone with a car to move locations and continue assaults.

Saying that, it is not unknown for pilgrims to switch routes partway, often if they are finding one too busy for their purpose. It is not impossible that Denise changed routes.

Maybe we are looking in all the wrong places? Consensus seemed to be she would not have abandoned the Camino, but maybe she went elsewhere...and north would not be unreasonable. If not north..another route? I knew a few who went to Porto on the Portugese route to finish from there when Camino Frances was busy. Need to check maps of routes that could be reasonable options from the Astorga area.

Just thinking out loud as a past pilgrim who wishes everyday to be back in Spain. Denise has not been found where searches have been, but has anyone heard of searches off her known route?

It looks like the predator in Villaviciosa had a preference for German women, not Asian ones, or maybe the Germans are the ones who file a complaint with the Police.

I'd be surprised if this person had travelled all the way to Astorga, he would have been far out of his usual hunting grounds. And why bother if one can simply lay in waiting at home?
Also it is known for a fact that he is not the only one on all the Caminos. Read the Camino-forum, there are mentions of harrassment happening in all areas.

As for Denise, it is not very likely that she changed plans. According to her family, she would not change plans without telling them. And she was looking forward to going home, she missed her brother, her family and her dogs. She told her friend in an email that she was planning to walk to El Ganso. She told the same to the pilgrims in Astorga on the day of her disappearance, and she was seen leaving on the Calle San Pedro, which is the Camino towards El Ganso.

(I checked this with my local contact, and they confirm that Denise was last seen in the Calle San Pedro, so the sighting near the church is not the last one. The Calle San Pedro is not very far from the Plaze de la Catedral. Denise would have taken the Calle Portería (where the Albergue is) or the Calle Leopoldo Panero, then turned to the right, cross a street (Alcalde Pineda) and enter the Calle San Pedro.)

If she did not leave of her own will, as is assumed, then she may be ANYWHERE.
First of all there is not really proof that she left Astorga at all, as Richard said.
Then depending on what happened to her, the person responsible may have abducted her in a car. Even if they took her 10 kms away, off the Camino track, that is already a vast area, impossible to search.
But then, if they took her out of the country......

I am surprised that there is no huge reward yet. Someone must know or suspect something.

 

[ZaZara]

SAFETY CONCERNS EMERGE ALONG WORLD FAMOUS PILGRIMAGE ROUTE

KMUW Wichita Public Radio
http://kmuw.org/post/safety-concern...e-route?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter


Through his forum, Rekve emailed about 5,000 current and past Camino hikers asking if anyone had seen Thiem. Her brother, Cedric, also posted a message, and the thread of responses reached into the thousands. Some of the replies were alarming, Yao says

"A lot of the other hikers didn't take it seriously. They said, 'Oh, people sometimes want to take time off,' and 'The Camino is the safest place on Earth,' " Yao says. "But then we started hearing from a lot of other women who have previously been attacked on the Camino. There were even a few occasions of attempted abduction. It's just appalling!"

Many of those attacks were not reported to police until after Thiem went missing. Authorities say they can't tell whether the attacks are linked to one another, or to Thiem's disappearance. But they are sending officers on horseback to patrol an 18-mile section of the path, where some of those attacks were reported.

[...]

Family and friends say it's highly unlikely that Thiem wanted to disappear. Her passport and bank cards haven't been used. She wasn't depressed.

"She didn't disappear voluntarily — I'm sure of that," Yao says. "They haven't found any of her body or any of her belongings, so you can pretty much rule out there was an accident. We checked all the hospitals — no cases of amnesia. The only thing I can think of is that she was harmed, and whoever it was, they took her."


BBM

There is a link to the radio emission. Voices bring life the story.
One remarkable remark has not made it to the text:

Desiree Yao:
"But then we started hearing from a lot of other women who have previously been attacked on the Camino. There were even a few occasions of attempted abduction. It's just appalling! And then when we talked to the authorities they would tell us that this was unheard of."

:gaah:

 

[Muy Curioso]

Look at what I found... This article is from September 3rd.

http://www.toigoradio.com/noticias/...xuales-a-peregrinas-en-el-camino-de-santiago/

Translated from Spanish -

A 73-year resident in Villaviciosa (Asturias) has been arrested by the Civil Guard Command of Gijon accused of attacking and perform various sexual attacks on women who made the pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago as it passes through the municipality of Villaviciosa . The authorities received the first complain of sexual assault in May 2014, when a German pilgrim age of 23 sent a letter to the Civil Guard, handwritten in English, recounting how she had been surprised by an individual who tried to kiss her as he held her fiercely and performed sexual acts on her in a way she couldn't defend herself. In the same letter, she provided the authorities with all the information that she reminded during the struggle about the complexion, dress and features of the attacker, and the color and brand of a vehicle found parked near the place of facts.

The sexual assaults were repeated in June, when again another German woman, 30 years old, suffered the same sexual assault in the very near place of the woman above. And after these attacks, again another one on 26 August, also a German citizen, the third to report the faxcts.

This led to the Civil Guard, in cooperation with the German Police to investigate the descriptions provided by the victims of the attacks, which coincided in the vehicle details and inthe details of the owner. One day after the last attack, on 27 August this year, the alleged perpetrator was arrested as he tried to approach again to another pilgrim. The Guardia Civil moved him to Villaviciosa headquarters, where he made a statement and was subsequently released. Now is the Court of First Instance and Instruction of Villaviciosa who is responsible for clarifying the facts and determine whether the individual is guilty of sexual assault to pilgrims.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the article there is no reference to the disappearence of Denise Theim. I wonder if this man has something to do with it. He is 73. I wish these women could have overpowered him :gaah:

In contrast to the town of Astorga, I am familiar with the area of Villaviciosa. There is no one Camino de Santiago, there are many Caminos de Santiago, although the main and best known is the one passing by Astorga. The one passing through Villaviciosa is secondary and little known. You can see on the map there are a lot of Caminos.




This kind of perverted often frequented schools or lonely roads. It seems that he is a local moron. But maybe the pattern could be significant.

A younger pervert, that begins with minor assaults (not necessarily in the Camino), which is gaining confidence, and one day decides to kidnap a woman.

 

[Muy Curioso]

RSBM




It looks like the predator in Villaviciosa had a preference for German women, not Asian ones, or maybe the Germans are the ones who file a complaint with the Police.

I'd be surprised if this person had travelled all the way to Astorga, he would have been far out of his usual hunting grounds. And why bother if one can simply lay in waiting at home?
Also it is known for a fact that he is not the only one on all the Caminos. Read the Camino-forum, there are mentions of harrassment happening in all areas.

As for Denise, it is not very likely that she changed plans. According to her family, she would not change plans without telling them. And she was looking forward to going home, she missed her brother, her family and her dogs. She told her friend in an email that she was planning to walk to El Ganso. She told the same to the pilgrims in Astorga on the day of her disappearance, and she was seen leaving on the Calle San Pedro, which is the Camino towards El Ganso.

(I checked this with my local contact, and they confirm that Denise was last seen in the Calle San Pedro, so the sighting near the church is not the last one. The Calle San Pedro is not very far from the Plaze de la Catedral. Denise would have taken the Calle Portería (where the Albergue is) or the Calle Leopoldo Panero, then turned to the right, cross a street (Alcalde Pineda) and enter the Calle San Pedro.)

If she did not leave of her own will, as is assumed, then she may be ANYWHERE.
First of all there is not really proof that she left Astorga at all, as Richard said.
Then depending on what happened to her, the person responsible may have abducted her in a car. Even if they took her 10 kms away, off the Camino track, that is already a vast area, impossible to search.
But then, if they took her out of the country......

I am surprised that there is no huge reward yet. Someone must know or suspect something.

You're doing an amazing job. :clap:

I do not think journalists have new information. I think they have put the circle on the map almost at random.

I do not think we must magnify the incidents on the Camino. All are minor assaults, but for women who suffer are unpleasant and frightening. But there is not a single rape reported. In a small town there are several rapes each year, and incidents of the kind reported in the Camino, they are not counted.

Millions of pilgrims and all we have are minor assaults.

True, it is likely that many minor assaults are not reported, but it also happens in cities and everywhere.

Although I have not ruled out any possibility, I lean slightly by the kidnapping at hands of a sexual predator. But I do not think he is related to the incidents.

However, neither the time nor the place convinced me to a kidnapping. Especially the time.

 

[ZaZara]

SUBSOIL UNIT OF THE NATIONAL POLICE WILL SCOUR GREY AREAS OF ASTORGA IN SEARCH OF DENISE


http://www.leonoticias.com/frontend...ic-iacute-a-Nacional-Rastrear-vn183821-vst218

The 'Subsoil Unit' of the National Police will scour the 'grey areas' of Astorga in search of the pilgrim Denise
Tracking different zones will start from ten o'clock tomorrow.

"We have never stopped looking and we believe that sooner or later she will appear."

Members of the Subsoil Unit of the National Police have been transferred in the last hours to the province of Leon in order to start a new phase in the search for Denise Pikka Thiem, the American pilgrim who disappeared last April when she was hiking the Camino to Santiago.

Members of this unit will begin their search work in wells and inaccessible areas, that although these were investigated at an earlier moment by other agents, they now want to "further deepen" their investigation. These 'dark zones' will be examined in depth because the first visual inspection failed to reach their entirety.

This has been confirmed on Wednesday by the Prefectures of Leon, where it has been noted that the new operations are not initially due to the emergence of new clues about the whereabouts of the young woman but to "police work that remains on going all the time, whether it has a reflection in the media or not. The forces and security forces have never stopped working on this case and they are working very intensely since the beginning "

The operation that is now starting has a start date, but no end. The agents will remain in the area, "as long as is deemed necessary." Sources from investigation have stated that "we never have stopped looking" and note that "sooner or later she will appear."

Thiem Pikka Denise, 41 years old, 1.60 tall, between 50 and 53 kilos of weight, with indi-Asian features, long hair, smooth and dark, disappeared in the town of Astorga on 5 April after spending the night in a downtown hostel in the maragata capital (in which her name was not recorded but it was discovered that she had been there).

'Arizona', as she calls herself in honor of her home state, was a methodical woman, she spoke with her brother Cedric on Skype every four days, and communicated with a friend using email.

Her last email was the 4th of April, from a cybercafe and in that mail she told that she missed her home, she wanted to come back after she reached her goal of the Plaza del Obradoiro. Also she assured that she would walk from Astorga to El Ganso, a nearby town, where she planned to spend the night because she had been assured that there was "a good hostel."

But Denise never arrived in El Ganso and even the Police believe that it is possible that she never left Astorga at all, hence they are now checking once over every one of the places where her body could be located in case that there has been an fatal outcome.


BBM


Spanish Police has a Subsoil Unit!
Underground (and Environmental Protection) Police!
Drains, gutters, wells, caves are the focus of their work. Terrorism, theft and fraud motivated their creation.

 

[ZaZara]

JUDICIAL POLICE OF MADRID IN PLAINCLOTHES ON THE CAMINO LOOKING FOR CLUES ABOUT THE MISSING PILGRIM


Diario de León
http://www.diariodeleon.es/noticias...camino-buscando-pistas-peregrina_1007144.html


Five months after the disappearance of the American pilgrim Denise Thiem, security forces continue to work on solving the case. This is demonstrated by the fact that agents of the National Police based in Madrid are roaming the Camino de Santiago. The agents seek specific information from those whom they interview, along the lines of investigation that the Interior Minister, Jorge Fernández Díaz, put forward to Diario de León in mid-July.

In particular, this involves a team of the Policía Judicial based in Madrid, that roams the municipalities of the Camino de Santiago in the area of Astorga, where the track of the pilgrim from Arizona, who was trying to find a new balance in life, was lost. The work of the police has nothing to do with the deployment that followed when she was reported missing. As we have been able to know, the questions of the agents are very specific, but nothing has transpired about the progress of the investigation. They present themselves in plainclothes, show their credentials and warn the person questioned about the confidentiality of their visit.

Despite the specific character of the questions, no news about the case is known, like the possibility that objects have been found that the pilgrim was known to carry. In any case, if there had been a find, the Thiem family would not be aware of it. At least that is what it seems in the light of recent reports in Spanish and foreign media in the past two months, in which the Thiem family expressed their regret about the absence of news from the Spanish police and even criticized the role of the US Embassy States in Spain, that is of the opinion that the investigation should be undertaken by the Spanish authorities. Thus it was reflected by the US National Public Radio (NPR) this weekend, in a report which appeared on its website. In early August, the family had asked the authorities of their country to put pressure on the Spanish government so that the investigation would not be stalled, as a family spokesman told this newspaper. The hopes that had two weeks before been awakened by the announcement of Interior Minister, had faded since then.

The latest police action that recalled the case of DeniseThiem was the arrest of a 73-year-old man from Villaviciosa (Asturias), on suspicion of sexual assault on female pilgrims from June 2014 to Aug. 26, when they were hiking the route known as Camino del Norte or Costa. However, the investigation conducted by agents of the Guardia Civil headquartered in Gijon, did not link the arrested man with Denise Thiem, who was hiking the Camino Francés. Although the suspect attacked foreign women, he always operated in his own region.

The trail of Denise Thiem was lost in Astorga on April 5. It is known that her intentions were to continue to El Ganso in a new etapa of her journey, but she never arrived. The last contact with her family took place on April 4 and since then there have been no movements in her bank accounts. The pilgrim had not shown a behavior that made one think of a voluntary disappearance.


BBM

 

[ZaZara]

SEARCH FOR MISSING PILGRIM DENISE THIEM IS REVIVED WITH POLICE FORCE OF 300 UNITS, SEARCH WILL FOCUS ON OVER 100 WELLS IN THE ASTORGA AREA

El Pais
http://politica.elpais.com/politica.../1441882815_471617.html?id_externo_rsoc=TW_CM

Security forces have revived on Thursday the search for the American Asian pilgrim Denise Pikka Thiem, 41, who disappeared in Astorga (León) on 5 April, when she was hiking the Camino de Santiago alone. This summer, Sen. John McCain sent a letter to the Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, in which he offered the cooperation of the FBI to solve the case. The Director General of Police, Ignacio Cosidó, said that this case is a "priority" for the police. There will be a "very exhaustive" inspection aimed at the over one hundred wells that are present in the area where she went missing.

The full-scale police force consists of about 300 troops, including support from the air, dog handlers, cavalry, units of the Judicial Police and Public Safety specialists among them subsoil experts, plus members of the Military Emergency Unit (UME). They will direct their investigations towards a number of key points drawn on a map. The last time Thiem was seen, was in Astorga Thiem. From there, she told friends through social networks that she would be heading for the town of El Ganso, one of the stages of the Camino de Santiago.

"We have been investigating for months," said Cosidó, who could not provide more details about the lines of investigation that determined the revival of the search, "because there is gag order on the procedings and because we can not give any information about the investigation that could harm it ." He commented that the Dirección Adjunta Operativa has decided to launch this search operation now because "they believed that at this time it was necessary to intensify the search".

The investigators are working on various hypothesis. The National Police has made numerous inquiries and has taken statements from dozens of witnesses; moreover the Guardia Civíl has tracked the area, but so far neither the pilgrim has appeared nor has anyone been arrested for her disappearance.

Sen. McCain offered the Spanish government the cooperation of FBI to solve the case, especially if the lines of investigation point to a murder.

According to investigation, on the 6th of March, the pilgrim started alone on the Camino de Santiago from Pamplona. For about a month, Thiem walked the Camino. Her tracks could be follwed through the pictures she made and published on her social profile. The last snapshot was taken last April 3 in an unidentified location, although she logged on the Internet a day later.

The last time the pilgrim took money from the ATM -50 euros - was on April 1, while the last day she contacted a friend through the Network was April 4. In the afternoon of that same day Thiem showed her pilgrim credentials at hostel San Javier, near the Cathedral of Astorga.

The next day, during the Easter Sunday, she had breakfast in the cafeteria Gaudí, according to statements by several pilgrims. Her tracks were lost near the church of Santa Marta, adjacent to the maragata cathedral. The US woman planned to attend Mass and then undertake an etapa of 14 kilometers to the town of El Ganso, because she had been informed that it had "a decent hostel" according to the last message that she wrote.

The Mayor of Astorga, Arsenio García Fuertes, explained to El Pais that he has knowledge of the renewed searches through the media. He explained that the Camino de Santiago is very safe in the stretch of Astorga and has described the disappearance as "a strange case." He recalled that many local volunteers have participated in raids to find Thiem and that the municipality is willing to lend their support to the search once more.

BBM


:drumroll:

 

[ZaZara]

Everything points to it that a solution may be near, and if it is, than it was probably local after all.


If ...... we can only wait and see what happens.


Prayers for the family. rayer:

 

[ZaZara]

POLICE FOCUS ON A NEIGHBOUR OF CASTRILLO DE POLVAZARES IN RELATION TO DISAPPEARANCE OF DENISE

Diario de León
http://www.diariodeleon.es/noticias...-castrillo-polvazares-punto-mira_1007240.html


The Police have the spotlight on a man residing in Castrillo de Polvazares who could be related to the disappearance of American pilgrim Asian Denise Thiem but they have not arrested him.

This is the strongest lead that has transpired so far.

The search area for the pilgriim is centered between Castrillo and Santa Catalina de Somoza, mainly in the area near the first village. The National Police says there are clues to narrow down the search to that area.


BBM

 

[ZaZara]

A DOZEN POLICE VEHICLES AT WORK AT AN AREA CALLED VALLATÁN DE CASTRILLO DE LOS POLVAZARES


ABC.es
http://www.abc.es/local-castilla-le...-dispositivo-policial-busca-201509101246.html


A large police force travels since early this morning through the vicinity of the town of Astorga, Leon, on the Camino de Santiago as part of the operations aimed at achieving clues about the disappearance of Denis Pikka, the American pilgrim from whom no news has been received since more than five months ago.

A convoy of a dozen vehicles of the National Police is working in the capital of the Maragatería and its surroundings with a full-scale team of staff. Among the areas where the technical and human resources arriving from the capital are deployed is the town of Castrillo de los Polvazares; one of the intermediate villages between Astorga, where the trail of Denis was lost, and El Ganso where she planned to walk to on the day of her disappearance, as she told a friend to whom she sent an email.

The so-called spot of Vallatán of Castrillo de los Polvazares is the focus this morning of the work of the members of the units deployed to the province. The Dirección General de la Policía avoided giving details, stating that they will inform only if there is news about the case.


BBM


Note: Castrillo de los Polvazares is NOT on the Camino itself, but it is nearby and many take a detour because it is a pretty village

 

[ZaZara]

POLICE SEARCHING FOR SUSPECT, TRUST THEIR LEADS WILL ENABLE THEM TO LOCATE THE BODY OF PILGRIM DENISE

SUR.es
http://www.diariosur.es/nacional/20...BT&ns_linkname=Bottom&ns_fee=0&ns_mchannel=TW

The investigation in the case of the disappearance of the American pilgrim Denise PikkaThiem is one step away from a turning point. At least so it is indicated from the investigation itself, according to leonoticias.com. A turn that springs from a "solid lead" about which nothing has been said officially and that has been the trigger for a new deployment of the special forces.

Police sources have also put forward that they are on the trail of a suspect, a resident of the town of Santa Catalina de Somoza, whom they had been keeping an eye on for days and who fled during the day on Wednesday.

The deployment has been activated by the the Military Emergency Unit (UME) with the certainty that the "good track" that they are now pursuing will lead them to locate the body of the pilgrim. The search centers on an area outside the village of Castrillo de los Polvazares.


BBM


lease:

 

[ZaZara]

THE SUSPECT IS A KNOWN LOCAL WITH PSYCHIATRIC PROBLEMS

The disappearance of the man, on whom the circle is closing, is considered by the police as a flight


Diario de Astorga - Astorga Digital
http://www.astorgadigital.com/caso-...cido-vecino-con-problemas-psiquiatricos/68183


As this newspaper anticipated in early summer, the tragic outcome - murder or homicide - was the only hypothesis that the police has worked with in the case of Denise Thiem, the American pilgrim missing on the Camino de Santiago in April, but for reasons of prudence, other possibilities have never been excluded in public. However, clear clues have always pointed to an alleged kidnapping by force and an alleged killing by someone from the area between Castrillo de los Polvazares and El Ganso.

Sources from the investigation reported in May to Diario de Astorga - Astorga Digital that "they feared that over time the main evidence, that is, the body would be increasingly difficult to find." Buried, thrown into a pit or incinerated with aims to remove all traces have been the stronger hypotheses that gained even more strength and that became the focus the search. Respect for the family and the desire not to hamper the investigation have made that the official silence has been maximum.

However, new evidence has practically closed the circle around a single suspect. It is a local resident, who apparently lives alone, with psychiatric and behavioral problems that have led to problems with other neighbors. "He came to kill dogs of neighbors, poison and try to kill horses and discuss with people," they say. This newspaper has already the name and address of the suspect, but in accordance with the source respects the 'off the record'.

The help of the FBI and the arrival of specialists of the National Police is motivated by the possible discovery of the body of the pilgrim, Denise Thiem, for which tests of a high scientific level are necessary.

The case has taken on international dimensions and is being followed in all national media.


BBM

 

[ZaZara]

WHO IS THE SUSPECT?


León Noticias
http://leonoticias.com/frontend/leonoticias/Quien-Es-El-Sospechoso-vn183909-vst469

Denise Pikka Thiem, the American pilgrim who disappeared while she walked the Camino de Santiago, lost her life after an overnight stay in Astorga.

No one questions what is a terrible certainty. They even go further. Behind her disappearance hides with high probabilities a crime, or to a lesser extent an accident.

Her body, in accordance with the open search area on Wednesday, would be located between the villages of Castrillo de los Polvazares and Santa Catalina de Somoza. Both places are separated by just over three kilometers that take pilgrims 40 minutes to cross on foot.

On the right side of this trajectory, in a valley divided by the River Jerga and in which oaks and pines spring thickly, the largest search effort in recent decades in the province of Leon is taking place

Never before such an operation has been seen. In the fields there are agents of the Subsoil Unit of the National Police, the Police Intervention Unit, Geos, Judicial Police, members of the Air Unit of the National Police and soldiers of the Military Emergency Unit and the cavalry of the same body. Up to three hundred men and women are searching inch by inch to find the body of Denise.

Those responsible for the investigation strongly suspect that a neighbor of Castrillo de los Polvazares, owner of land in that area, may hold the key to solving one of the most mysterious cases on the police agenda.

For weeks the agents followed the steps of the suspect but on Wednesday they lost his tracks. They have investigated his movements, his environment, his conversations, his comings and goings day after day, one week and the next. Now his absence has triggered all the alarms.

The investigation, however, remains tight-lipped. They have distributed a photograph of the suspect among the various security units and the search for him is performed in parallel to the scouring of the area, along the river, in an area where this neighbor allegedly owns a farm located between the Camino del Monte and the Camino de Fontanillas.

"We are working with great intensity in a case that we never have stopped investigating. We are confident that sooner or later, and sooner than later everything will be solved," according to the Subdelegada del Gobierno in León, Teresa Mata.

The search efforts will continue until the sector has been investigated in its entirety, with special monitoring of the hundreds of wells that are in the area and near the river. The logistics of the operation have forced to transfer even portable toilets to the area and shield the search zone, that already begin to see groups of onlookers from locals of the Camino.

Officials have said that, although this was indicated in the recent hours, on the ground not any agent of the US agency FBI is working and their presence in this case is not foreseen. The same sources point out that the body of Denise will be located because this time the clues seem to point in the right direction.

"We are aware of the expectations that this case carries, but we also request prudence and that the police can do their work because this is a case for which we really always have made a great effort," Teresa Mata said.


BBM




Two female pilgrims hiking through the search area.

More pictures of the search area at the link.

 

[ZaZara]

SEARCHES ONGOING AT FARM OF THE SUSPECT IN THE DISAPPEARANCE OF THE AMERICAN PILGRIM

ABC.es
http://www.abc.es/espana/20150911/abci-registro-casa-sospechoso-201509111302.html



Police have begun in the last hours a search of the farm of Castrillo de los Polvazares, a small village in León very close to Astorga, where the main suspect in the disappearance of American pilgrim Denise Thiem is living. The disappearance happened in the area last Easter Sunday. It is a very large area of land, and therefore ideal for hiding a body, while the house itself is very small.

The inspection of the farm is done with the permission of the judge investigating the case. The case is under a gag order. In this search are participating employees of the General Department of the Scientific Police, seeking traces of the woman and dogs specialized in finding people, as the remains, if indeed they are in this place, might be buried.

The sources consulted by ABC pointed out that in recent weeks the range of suspects was reduced to three, but the investigations have focused on the owner of that land. He arrived in the area about eight years ago and lives alone. This is a person who hardly has contact with his neighbors, with a strong character. A few days ago he has gone missing. The sources insist that it can not be said that he has fled, because there was no arrest warrant, but the fact is that police pressure may have influenced his decision to get away as quickly as possible.

On this subject ABC has learned that he fits the profile of the person sought by the police as responsible for the disappearance of the pilgrim, on 5 April. In fact, in his history there are some incidents of violence against a woman - not related to gender violence or of a sexual nature are, although he has no criminal record. Some locals say that he used to disturb the pilgrims who traveled the Camino de Santiago.

The inspection of this individual's farm is being combined with the deployment in the Castrillo de los Polvazares of 300 national and military police of the EMU, whose mission is to examine a hundred wells. The sources insist that this is not a random search, in fact this area has been selected because according to the data of the investigation this is in where the chances of finding Thiem's remains are highest.

This search operation is not related in any way with the interest shown in the case by US Senator John McCain, who suggested in a letter to Mariano Rajoy that the FBI collaborate in investigations. The truth is that the contact person in Spain of the American Police Corps traveled to León months ago to be informed about the investigations. They explained to him what they were doing and he showed his utter satisfaction with the work of the Spanish Police, with whom he also maintains excellent relations. Also, at all times those responsible for the case have informed the US embassy of the novelties of the investigation, as always happens in cases like this that involve citizens of any country.

Denise Thiem disappeared on Easter Sunday when she was preparing to cover a track of just 14 kilometers of the Camino de Santiago. She had no mobile phone and made the pilgrimage on her own. Solving this disappearance is a priority for the police.


BBM

 

[dotr]

This must be a very trying time for Denise's family, on one hand they may find Denise and on the other hand, they may find Denise.
Kudos to the Spanish LE and all the searchers involved for working so hard in the search for Denise.
Thanks ZaZara for your updates. imo.

 

[ZaZara]

CARS WITH DIPLOMATIC NUMBER PLATES IN THE SEARCH AREA

Diario de León
http://www.diariodeleon.es/noticias...matico-zona-rastreo-busca-denise_1007485.html


This morning, several vehicles without polices features remain parked next to the police station in Astorga, Among them is one with a registration number reserved for the diplomatic corps, possibly the US Embassy in Spain, which later moved to the site of the operations.

According to locals, since last weekend it is common to see a police helicopter flying over the area on which the investigation focuses.

In addition, they insist that the presence of the police has increased in the area since the disappearance of Denise Thiem was reported. In rural tourism centers and pilgrims' hostels they have checked since then the records of the guests more often than usual, "even every other day. They have never left the case," residents of the area who preferred to remain anonymous pointed out yesterday. Yesterday afternoon the police again inspected all kinds of hostelry premises, whether they offered lodging or not.


BBM

 

[ZaZara]

GOVERNMENT: ALL LINES OF INVESTIGATION ARE OPEN, THE IS NOT 'ONE SUSPECT'

EFE
http://www.efe.com/efe/espana/socie...-caso-la-peregrina-desaparecida/10004-2709827

The representative of the Government in León, Teresa Mata, has said today that investigation to try to locate the American pilgrim Pikka Denise Thiem, missing since April, is proceeding along "several lines", and has stated that there is no record to this day that there is any suspect.

"Equally there is not one but there are a few more as there are there are several open lines of investigation," she reminded.


BBM


LATEST: a man has been arrested, could be related to the case. No official confirmation yet.

 

[ZaZara]

ARREST, BONES FOUND, NO CONFIRMATION FOR NOW



La Voz de Galicia
http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/notici...witter&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=twgen


A man was arrested this afternoon allegedly involved in the disappearance of Denise Thiem, the American pilgrim of whom the trail was lost in early April while she was hiking the Camino de Santiago.

Near the place of arrest bones have been found, although the investigation ruled out for the moment that they might belong to Denise, reports Diario de León.


BBM