American tourist found dead in Malaga city flat: 'I heard a man scream as if he was being killed'

An elderly American tourist has been found dead in an apartment in Malaga city with signs of violence and there were also signs that the property had been burgled. A local resident told of the screams they heard on the night of Monday 20 January, at around the same time that the 80-year-old victim died, according to police investigators.

The resident first heard the screams around 9pm, with the sounds keeping her awake. "I heard a man screaming a lot, it was as if he was being killed. It sounded to me as if they were putting a cushion over him and he was defending himself," said the woman who lives in Calle Viento, parallel to Carretería, where the victim's body was found.

She has only been living in the building for a couple of weeks. She looked out of the window to try to identify the flat where the screams were coming from, which went on for several minutes, but could not locate it. She said she couldn't even make out if they were real or from a television programme or film. In that area there is usually a lot of noise in the streets, especially at night, the resident added.

She then went to an upstairs flat and spoke to a neighbour. "I explained to her that I had heard the screams for about ten minutes, but she hadn't heard anything at all. That calmed me down," said the young woman, who chose not to call emergency services. However, other residents did, and although a Local Police patrol went to inspect the area, they did not find the victim, who was probably already dead.

The police investigation will be centred on the forensic examination as to the date of death, although everything suggests the screams heard were those of the American tourist, who died just ten metres from the house of the resident who had heard him in agony, police said.

The elderly tourist had only just arrived in Malaga for a few days' holiday and had suffered a traumatic brain injury inside the flat after receiving a blow to the head. It is not yet known whether a weapon was used.

Police can confirm that at that moment, or just after, someone entered the house and stole the victim's belongings. The police investigation, which has been taken over by the homicide unit, and an autopsy should clarify whether the blow to the head was accidental and the thief took advantage of the circumstances to burgle him or whether it was a planned attack.