Is a serial killer at work in Spain? Three farmers are found dead in very similar circumstances over a three-month period

THE mysterious deaths of three farmers in the Spanish countryside has raised suspicions among police investigators that there may be a serial killer at work in Spain.

On January 5, an 84-year-old man named Ramon Rossell was found dead on his farm by his wife. Rossell had gone to prune his fruit trees on the property, located in Vilanova de la Barca in Lleida province, but was discovered to have been violently beaten to death.

According to Spanish press reports, the man had no issues with anyone else and the only thing that went missing from his property was his car, an Opel Astra.

The mystery deepened, however, when another Opel Astra was discovered abandoned after the death of Rossell in Lleida city, some 12 kilometres away.

Police checks revealed that the vehicle belonged to Jose Luis Aguado, 80, who had also been found dead in strange circumstances on his farmland in the municipality of Ribaforada in the Navarra region, on December 21 of last year.

A third killing, that of 68-year-old Pedro Oyon on November 22, in an olive grove in Tudela, Navarra, could also be connected, according to the police.

The suspect busted through a police checkpoint after one of the killings.

Police investigations discovered that the suspected killer of Rossell fled the scene headed north, according to Spanish press reports. Around 50 kilometres along his journey, he busted through a police checkpoint.

After checking camera footage from Spanish motorways, the vehicle was found to have entered the principality of Andorra. This, police sources said, was an odd move for someone who had presumably committed a crime and was trying to avoid arrest.

The vehicle then made another unexpected move and crossed the border into France, where the trail went cold.

The investigation is now being handled by the Mossos, the Guardia Civil and the Policia Nacional.

Officers are working with the theory that the alleged killer is on the run, for some reason, and has been attacking people who have discovered his whereabouts.

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