Alex Trelinski
A RETIRED Guardia Civil officer has been charged with killing his wife and afterwards dumping her body parts in different areas of Gran Canaria.
A court in San Bartolome de Tirajana remanded 70-year-old Miguel Gallego into custody.
Maria Dolores Ilan Mendez, 59, died in March 2020 at the couple’s San Bartolome property in the south of the island.
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Gallego invoked his right to stay silent during his court appearance.
Police sources have added that there had been no previous complaints of ill-treatment.
The Policia Nacional charged Gallego with murder on Tuesday after he was summoned for an interview about his wife’s disappearance.
During questioning, he ended up admitting to having dismembered her body.
An argument between them on March 18, 2020, led to a struggle, during which the woman fell to the ground and suffered a blow to the head which Gallego claimed caused her death.
He said he waited several hours to see if Dolores regained consciousness, but after confirming her death, he decided to dispose of the body.
He used a saw, a knife and a hammer to cut her up inside their home.
Subsequently, he transported the remains in a backpack over a number of days to scatter them in different parts of the island.
Following the confession, authorities ordered inspections of possible dump sites.
Human remains were found close to the Shopping Centre Tropical, in Playa del Ingles.
Other bone fragments were located close to a supermarket.
The Policia Nacional carried out a search of the couple’s home where traces of blood were found in the room where Dolores died and was chopped up.
