Spain's National Police have arrested José María Pavón Pereira in Cartaya, Huelva, a fugitive listed in the 'Top 10 Most Wanted' campaign for a 2019 double murder. The victims' bodies were found in a well, one with a shotgun wound and the other beaten with a blunt object. The arrest resulted from citizen tips and investigative efforts.
Spain's National Police arrested José María Pavón Pereira last Monday in Cartaya, Huelva, a man wanted for a double murder committed in 2019 in the same province. According to the police statement, the two victims' bodies were found in a well: one had a shotgun wound to the chest, while the other suffered multiple blows from a blunt object that caused his death. Pavón Pereira faces a 41-year prison sentence for murder with treachery and murder with cruelty.
The investigation began last year following a judicial request for his detention. After exhausting standard methods, officers added the fugitive to the 'Top 10 Most Wanted' campaign, launched in November 2025, aimed at gathering public tips through media, social networks, and the email losmasbuscados@policia.es. This effort has proven effective, with three of the ten fugitives located in just one month.
Using information received and work by the Fugitive Location Section, investigators found that Pavón Pereira was hiding in a remote industrial warehouse in Cartaya. After surveillance, officers spotted a vehicle leaving the area with a man matching the suspect's physical description. Upon stopping the car, they fully identified him and made the arrest.
This capture underscores the value of citizen collaboration in tracking down long-term fugitives, in a case that went unsolved for years.
