EXCLUSIVE: Crying cop tipped off parents of Brit killed in Spain after police dismissed death as ‘blood clot’

A female detective who was sobbing told the parents of an expat British man who died in suspicious circumstances that they should examine their son’s corpse before cremating it.

Sandra and Rob Adams had just signed the form after they were informed by police that Brett Dryden (35), died of a blood clot in his lungs.

But they claim a moment of emotion revealed something that shifted the entire investigation – and shook their lives to its emotional core.

“When Rob went to the police station, one of the female detectives started crying and said to him ‘you need to look further into this – you need to go see the body because he’s got more injuries than they’re telling you,'” Sandra, 57, told the Olive Press.

READ MORE EXCLUSIVE: ‘It’s disgusting’: British mother accuses police in Spanish tourist town of ‘brushing her son’s murder under the carpet’

Just two days after Brett’s body was discovered at his Mojacar apartment, Almeria on July 21, 2024, police had closed the investigation.

It was only when I was rushing to sign the paperwork for his cremation at the funeral home that I realized the iPhone 15 I gave him as a present was missing.

Then I realized that all of his possessions were gone. That’s when the penny dropped for me – that something wasn’t right.”

Sandra had to rush to the courthouse in Mojacar to get an order to stop her son’s body being cremated – and destroying crucial evidence in what she was now certain was foul play.

Unbelievable, the police closed this case even though an autopsy revealed that the father had been severely beaten. His jaw was bruised and cut, and there was a large crescent-shaped 4cm gash right above his eye.

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 video, which was released recently from the house, shows blood smeared all over the walls. Also seen is a macabre finger print next to an electrical switch.

Sandra and Rob went through a similar ordeal to many British families who lost loved ones over the past 12 months in Spain.

Sandra said, “The lady at the funeral home said that she had never seen anything quite like it.” “They just wanted to get it over and done with – get him down to ashes – as quickly as possible.”

According to Sandra, after a judge ordered the case to be reopened, the Guardia Civil sent down one of their top officers from the regional capital in Almeria to ‘tear strips off of everyone’.

Brett had been scheduled to meet up with friends for lunch on the day of his death. In his last phone call, he told a friend, “I have to go now, they’re here,” – leading Sandra to be certain “Brett knew his killers.”

READ MORE British family demand answers over ‘murder’ of expat dad at his seaside home in Spain’s Andalucia

Rob, Rob’s stepfather, 54, obtained a CCTV from a neighbour showing three figures absconding from a bag which looked similar to the one Brett was using to carry the earnings from the cannabis clubs he established in 2019.

“Brett’s death has caused paranoia among the community,” a close friend told Olive Press.

People have many theories as to who could be responsible, and that someone is capable of doing it.

“There’s paranoia towards the police too – if there’s CCTV of these guys, people should be arrested.

“I think the Guardia Civil thought ‘we can’t have a murder here in summer’, so they just wanted to cover it up and brush it off as an accident, especially as it was seemingly a drug-related case.”

The family has not made any progress in solving Brett’s murder despite the fact that it has been nearly a year since the crime occurred. Meanwhile, the Guardia Civil only confirmed the case as “open”.

With the anniversary of Brett’s death fast approaching, the family – including Brett’s 6-year-old daughter – will return to Mojacar to lay flowers, set lanterns and hand out leaflets to locals in Spanish.

READ MORE: ‘Spanish police reopen the case and reopen justice for British tourists’ family.

Sandra added: “It’s really disturbing to me how quickly they closed the case.” She echoed the concerns of British families who have lost loved one in Spain.

She revealed she has been in touch with bereaved family members of other Brits, who were also met with similar lack of interest from the Spanish Police.

One of these is the family of Nathan Osman. He died after falling down a cliff at Benidorm, Spain in September 2024.

Nathan, a father-of-four from Pontypridd who was on holiday with his friends in Benidorm, got separated after going out the first day.

He was discovered at the bottom of a 200 metre cliff. However, the Policia Nacional dismissed the death as either an accident or suicide. They closed the investigation immediately.

In March, his siblings were able to convince a judge to reopen the case after they had tirelessly conducted their own investigation. They went door-to-door making inquiries and secured crucial CCTV.

READ MORE The family of a father-of-4 who died after falling off cliff in Benidorm has reopened the investigation.

They eventually gathered a dossier of evidence that showed their brother was a family man – not another ‘drunk Brit’ in Benidorm.

Both families helped each other with advice about dealing with the Spanish Police and finding reliable attorneys, amongst other obstacles.

The Olive Press has been made aware that there is a larger support network for families of Brits who were killed in Spain and have requested anonymity.

“But there’s a real strong pattern here of the police just ignoring – just not doing their job – when it comes to crimes involving British people,” Sandra concluded.

The Olive Press’ Almeria News is available here.