Body found in bag 3,000ft underwater off Tenerife is ‘almost certainly’ missing girl, six

Body found in bag 3,000ft down on the Atlantic Ocean seabed off Tenerife is ‘almost certainly’ six-year-old girl who has not been seen since being snatched with her toddler sister by her fugitive father

  • Olivia Gimeno and Anna, one, taken away from home by father Tomas on April 27
  • Interpol issued ‘yellow notices’ for the girls as the search operation stepped up
  • Spanish authorities now say a body has been found, weighed down by an anchor

A body found in a bag 3,000 feet down on the Atlantic Ocean seabed off Tenerife is ‘almost certainly’ that of missing six-year-old girl Olivia Gimeno, Spanish authorities said.

The schoolgirl has not been seen since being snatched with her toddler sister, Anna, by her fugitive father on April 27.

Interpol issued so-called ‘yellow notices’ for the girls last month – a step to help locate missing persons, often minors, or help identify people who are unable to identify themselves.

Olivia Gimeno has not been seen since being snatched with her toddler sister, Anna (pictured together), by her fugitive father on April 27

Anna (left) and Olivia (right) disappeared with their father Tomas (middle), sparking a huge search operation

Anna (left) and Olivia (right) disappeared with their father Tomas (middle), sparking a huge search operation

Interpol issued so-called 'yellow notices' for the girls last month - a step to help locate missing persons, often minors, or help identify people who are unable to identify themselves

Interpol issued so-called ‘yellow notices’ for the girls last month – a step to help locate missing persons, often minors, or help identify people who are unable to identify themselves

Olivia and Anna's mother, who is divorced from their father, Tomas, alleges he told her she would never see him or her daughters again

Olivia and Anna’s mother, who is divorced from their father, Tomas, alleges he told her she would never see him or her daughters again

Now, authorities say a body, thought to be Olivia's, has been found in a sports bag deep underwater and weighed down by an anchor

Now, authorities say a body, thought to be Olivia’s, has been found in a sports bag deep underwater and weighed down by an anchor

Olivia and Anna’s mother, who is divorced from their father, Tomas, alleges he told her she would never see him or her daughters again. 

Now, authorities say a body, thought to be Olivia’s, has been found in a sports bag deep underwater and weighed down by an anchor.

The discovery has also sparked fears however that the body of one-year-old Anna may never be found if it was in the holdall.  

A spokesman for the investigating magistrate who is in charge of the ongoing judicial probe provided an update on Thursday night.

He said: ‘Pending more conclusive forensic tests, the body could almost certainly correspond to that of Olivia G, the youngster who vanished on April 27 with her one-year-old sister and their father.

‘The body was found by a robot from the search vessel Angeles Alvarino at midday today around 1,000 metres below the water some three miles off the Tenerife coast.

‘It was inside a sports bag attached to an anchor. Next to it was another empty sports bag.

‘The body was taken to dry land for an autopsy. The vessel called Angeles Alvarino is continuing its search.’