THE case of Brett Dryden’s death in Mojacar is a shocking example of how an investigation can be derailed by incompetence and indifference.
Dryden, a 35-year-old British expat, was found dead with €8,000 missing, along with his phone and wallet, and clear signs of violence in his home.
Despite the evidence of foul play – bloodstains, multiple injuries, a suspicious lookout, and a stolen iPhone – Spanish authorities quietly closed the case in September.
What makes this case particularly troubling is not just the disturbing circumstances of Dryden’s death, but the failure of the authorities to follow up on critical leads.
Surveillance footage captured a masked figure outside Dryden’s home shortly before two individuals fled with his belongings.
Dryden had also arranged a meeting with an Albanian drug supplier, ‘Irdi’, yet neither Irdi nor his associate, ‘Hakim’, were ever questioned.
Worse still, the investigation ignored key details about the stolen iPhone’s whereabouts, which pointed to suspicious locations, and the fact that one device linked to the crime was registered to a woman with known connections to criminals.
To close a case with such glaring holes is an affront to justice.
Brett’s family deserve answers, not apathy.
Sandra Dryden, his mother, has rightly expressed frustration with the dismissal.
That she needs to reach out to journalists and dig deep into her pockets to pay for investigators is a disgrace.
It is a damning indictment of a justice system that can, at best, be described as neglectful and, at worst, complicit in the cover-up of a violent crime.
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