Laurence Dollimore
THE body of a young woman found dumped by a zebra crossing in Torremolinos has been identified as a 21-year-old expat.
Anne Mathea Morken, from Norway, moved to Spain only a year ago before being found strewn across the road near the entrance of an apartment building in Playamar.
A popular student and keen skier, from Ringebu, near Lillehammer, she was found dead showing signs of being asphyxiated, confirmed Spanish police.
Her family, who have now been notified of her death, are demanding answers over her mysterious death.
She was discovered by a group of young people at around 1.30am on September 13 and had been dead for around 10 hours.
It means the woman, who lived in Malaga city, must have been dumped there following her death.
While her name has not yet been officially revealed in Spain, it was confirmed by authorities in Norway.
The final autopsy is awaiting a toxicology report before the exact cause of death can be determined.
Homicide detectives believe she likely suffered a violent death, however it is not ruled out that she could have drowned due to an ‘allergic reaction to a substance.’
Her body was found in a side street off Benyamina avenue, which runs down to the beach.
The Norwegian serious crime unit, Kripos, has been assisting in the investigation, having flown in from Oslo over the last few days.
The Norwegian embassy in Madrid and the Seamen’s Church, in Fuengirola, has been assisting the family.
Meanwhile, the death has triggered an outpouring of mourning in her home village.
Director of the local school, Havard Gangsas, told VG: “We feel very much for the family. This is a deeply tragic event, and we are all very sad.”
The local youth centre is opening for a special memorial session from 6pm this evening.
According to local reports, Anne was active in the Ringebu-Fåvang Ski Club in her youth and participated, among other things, in the NM relay in 2018.
She studied sports at Gausdal upper secondary school, before working part time at a local delicatessen.
She fell in love with Spain when spending a semester here in 2022, while training to be a personal trainer at Norwegian private school Active Education, in nearby Fuengirola.
Manager Ola Furseth described the news as ‘very sad’ adding his thoughts ‘go out to the next of kin’.
He added he hopes the Spanish police, with assistance from Kripos, can help clarify the cause of the death.
The police are said to have obtained surveillance videos and interviewed witnesses in the area at the time.
They are still awaiting the autopsy report and do not wish to comment on the cause of death for the time being.
Her body was allegedly found without any identification, although her handbag was believed to have been found on the street next to her.
