Kidnap and murder “not discounted”
Two friends “dedicated to prospecting land for business” have seemingly vanished into thin air on the island of Pico, in the Azores.
According to reports, the two men disappeared on the afternoon of Saturday September 10. They had driven together in one car to view some land in the area of Campo Raso (parish of Candelária, borough of Madalena, on the west coast of Pico). “Both were interested in land that was up for sale in the area”… and that appears to be the last detail that can be established.
The car has been recovered – very close to the spot to which the men were headed, which admittedly is not that far from cliffs leading down to the sea.
Local firefighters, PSP and GNR police forces as well as Maritime Police have however all painstakingly undertaken searches, starting on the Sunday (September 11). Up until now ‘nothing’.
The two men – so far unnamed, but aged between 60-70 – are “married, have children, and lived a normal day-to-day life on the island”, writes Correio da Manhã. Neither of them have a criminal record.
After so many days with ‘no sign’ of what could have happened, PJ police have been collecting witness statements from family members/ friends etc. to see if anything ‘springs up’ that could explain this strange double-disappearance.
Says CM, the scenario of kidnap and later murder, is not being discounted – albeit there have been no details released that would suggest any kind of motive.
The investigation is being led out of the PJ base at Ponta Delgado (the capital of Azores, on São Miguel island).
