Spanish authorities tweeted this weekend that the body of a missing American tourist has finally been found, months after she vanished while on a walking tour near Astorga Spain.
Denise Pikka Thiem, from Arizona, disappeared in April 2015 while trekking the 470-mile long Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route on foot. Authorities have been searching for her ever since.
“Following months of intense investigations, our agents have found the body of Denise and detained the alleged perpetrator,” posted the head of the Spanish police, Ignacio Cosido, this week via Twitter.
A 39-year-old Spaniard is in police custody on suspicion of murder, a law enforcement spokesman informed Reuters news agency. However, he provided no details on how the victim was slain or a motive for the slaying, except to say that the accused killer led investigators to her remains.
Suspect Miguel Angel, who lives in the vicinity of where the missing woman was last seen, reportedly is known for bizarre and disturbing behavior, including his habit of harassing pilgrims on the Camino trail and quarreling with neighbors.
Denise Thiem was herself 40-years-old when she embarked on a spiritual quest to Spain this spring, traveling as far as the province of Leon where she allegedly encountered Angel and was murdered by him.
She would have turned 41 in August.
