Google Street View captures man stashing body into the back of car

A confronting Google Street View image captured by pure chance has led to the arrest of two people on suspicion of murder.

This image helped police investigate a missing person's case in Spain. Pic: Google Maps Street View . A Google street view image of a man loading a large white plastic bag into the boot of his car has led to the arrest of two people on suspicion of murder. Picture Google

Talk about luck.

A Google Street View image captured by happenstance has led to the arrest of two people on suspicion of murder, in a case that has shocked the sleepy province of Soria in northern Spain.

The grisly discovery came last week when the dismembered body of a man was found in the cemetery of Andaluz, a village with just 12 inhabitants.

The victim, later identified as 32-year-old Jorge Luis Perez, had been missing for over a year before his remains were uncovered.

A Cuban woman, the former partner of the victim, and a man from the area, who also happened to be the ex-husband of the woman, were arrested by police.

The two suspects are now in prison facing charges over the murder of Perez.

The man, a 48-year-old from Tajueco — another tiny village just seven miles from Andaluz — was allegedly caught in the middle of the act, loading the body wrapped in plastic into the back of a red sedan in broad daylight.

Given the area, it might have been safely assumed that nobody else would have been around to witness the crime.

However, the one thing the alleged killer didn’t count on was the Google Street View car passing by.

The one thing the alleged killer didn’t count on was the Google Street View car passing by. Picture: Google

As the suspect bent down to place the bundle in the boot, the iconic Google camera captured the scene in real time, documenting the moment that would eventually crack the case wide open.

In the image, the man is seen wearing a blue jacket from local football team Club Deportivo Numancia, jeans, and brown boots.

This crucial piece of evidence, along with other photos from Google’s database, helped authorities connect the dots.

Another blurry image shows a figure in dark blue moving a similar white bundle in a wheelbarrow.

The Google app allows users to navigate maps using real photos from the Street View cars and has now become a utility tool used by millions across the globe every day.

Since its launch in 2007, Google Street View has captured everything from peculiar sights to the bizarre, often serving as a strange form of unintended documentation.

Over the years, people have been caught in all sorts of oddities — couples’ intimate moments, bizarre roadside encounters and wild moments of chance have all been snapped by one of Google’s 250 Street View vehicles.

In Western Australia, a man was recently spotted riding a penny-farthing bicycle with a penguin perched on the front. In another occurrence, a person was seen sitting dressed in a horse mask and cozy robe while enjoying a banana.

Originally published as Google Street View captures man stashing body into the back of car