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A POLICE file into the death of an expat in Andalucia has revealed strong evidence of a violent robbery – yet the case has been provisionally closed by a judge.
Brett Dryden, 35, was found dead inside his Mojacar home on July 22 last year with his phone, wallet and an estimated €8,000 missing – and blood stains all over the house.
Yet his mother Sandra told the Olive Press this week, she was shocked the investigation was curtailed in September – despite numerous leads being unexplored.
READ MORE EXCLUSIVE: ‘It’s disgusting’: British mother accuses police in Spanish tourist town of ‘brushing her son’s murder under the carpet’
“The whole thing is an absolute s*** show,” she said, adding that the Guardia Civil report was ‘a joke’.
She said her family is now hiring a private detective to find out the truth.
What is known is that the father-of-one had left his cannabis club, The Dawg House, at 1.35pm on the day of his death, telling an employee he would ‘be right back’.
He never returned. His phone records show he received a call around 2pm, while he texted a friend that the ‘people he was waiting for’ had arrived at his house.
At the same time, CCTV footage nearby showed a man with a cap, mask, and a hood loitering in front of Brett’s house for at least fifteen minutes.
READ MORE EXCLUSIVE: Crying cop tipped off parents of Brit killed in Spain after police dismissed death as ‘blood clot’
One minute later two masked people were seen running out of the house. The larger figure was carrying a bag while the smaller one looked similar to Brett’s pouch.
The police report, seen by the Olive Press, reveals Brett had arranged to meet an Albanian cannabis supplier known as ‘Irdi’ at his home.
Witnesses described Irdi as always being accompanied by another man, ‘Hakim’ or ‘Hakir’ both of whom were familiar in the local drug scene.
The police report handed to Brett’s family does not indicate that the two men were questioned by investigators or even found.
It is evident that Ashley Povey, Brett’s best friend, found Brett’s body in his living room that evening with his dog nearby.
His belongings were missing, and his front door was left open. Initial reports from officers claimed there had been ‘no struggle’ and that Brett had died from a blood clot.
READ MORE EXCLUSIVE: ‘They tried to make it as difficult as possible for us’: Family of ‘murdered’ Brit set to protest police inaction in Spanish holiday town
The cause of death was changed to homicide despite the fact that a forensic examination revealed multiple head injuries as well as internal bleeding.
Brett’s iPhone is the shocking aspect of this case.
A 1-second call was placed to his mother’s number via the internet, even though his phone had been removed from his home. This happened hours after his passing.
Investigators located the phone near a campsite after tracing the signal from the phone back to Vera.
It was strange that another phone, registered with a woman who had no criminal history, could be traced both to Brett’s camp and to his home.
Even though investigators discovered that the house was occupied by multiple people, one of whom had a criminal record, they did not interview any of them.
In spite of these warning signs, the Guardia Civil ended the investigation in September, citing the absence of any identifiable suspects.
A judge issued an archive order that would only allow the case to be reopened when new evidence was discovered.
READ MORE: British family demand answers over ‘murder’ of expat dad at his seaside home in Spain’s Andalucia
Brett’s family believes the evidence indicates a violent robbery that went wrong. However, they believe the investigation wasn’t taken seriously.
Sandra said, “I want to know exactly what happened to my son.” She expressed her disbelief at the authorities’ lack of interest in solving this case.
“It feels like they never wanted to solve Brett’s death.”
Silence has met the family’s attempts at appealing the decision.
The lawyer of the couple reported that their case was no longer being handled by the police, and they had been waiting over five weeks for a reply.
Click here to read more Crime & Law News from The Olive Press.
