The bodies of a man and a woman were found this Wednesday morning (May 11) near a stream in Botelhas, Castro Marim.
According to press reports, the bodies were found at 10.30am by a passer-by who was walking near the stream, and described by the authorities as being in “advanced stages of decomposition”.
The woman apparently had a backpack with her and a soft toy inside her coat.
The identities – including ages and nationalities – have not yet been determined.
GNR police were the first at the scene but PJ criminal police have taken over the investigation.
The Resident will update this story as more details become available.
UPDATE:
As evening news channels pick up on this story, the mystery deepens. ´
No car appears to have been found in the vicinity that might have brought the couple to this ditch below a little-used national road – and though the location is just 15 metres from the IC27, to get to it by car would require a journey from the highway of around 8 km, explains SIC Notícias.
There are varying reports on how the “apparently young” couple (Jornal de Notícias) were found.
Some have describe them as “back-to-back”, others as “seated” – but all sources mention one of the pair as having clear signs of a “head injury”.
For now, there is nothing to suggest whether this couple was Portuguese or any other nationality.
The backpack, according to TVI found “between the woman’s legs” – as well as other baggage – is being searched for clues as to
identities.
The fact that the woman had a child’s toy under her coat has also led to searches of the area to ensure there is no child to be found.
How long the couple had been dead, or indeed at the place where their bodies were found, are questions still to be established, as are the causes of their deaths. But the fact that the bodies were already in quite advanced stages of decomposition suggests the pair died “some days ago”.
