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A MISSING Expat, whose corpse was found at the Costa del Sol this weekend, had just received a huge lump sum of money from the sale a property.
The Olive Press can reveal that Andrew Wade, 65, had finally secured over €400,000 after winning a long legal battle with a dodgy British equity release company.
After a thorough search by police, firefighters and locals on Saturday, the expat who had gone missing from Marbella one month earlier was discovered on a waste ground in Estepona.
Wade, who Olive Press sources reveal had ‘a long-time cocaine habit’, had been planning to go back to live in the UK.
READ MORE After a month-long search, a body has been found in Estepona.
The former British Airways flight attendant had received a huge payout when he sold the family property in Benahavis, this summer.
“The money had finally gone through after a decade of legal wrangling over a €1 million equity release charge,” revealed lawyer Antonio Flores, at Lawbird, who represents his family.
He said that the man was “delighted” and that there was no reason for his suicide. In addition, he noted that people in rural areas don’t usually overdose on drug.
Wade – who had been living in Malaga province since around 2012 – had been reported missing to police after vanishing from his home on August 15.
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He had been driving his black VW golf which was later found with his mobile and passport, while he had left his two ‘beloved’ cats at home.
Following an online appeal via media including the Olive Press and other outlets, police began their investigation.
The investigation was going nowhere until suddenly, they announced a huge search team that would sweep a forested area near El Paraiso on the weekend.
The large team used drones and dogs to find his body, which was decomposing, in the deep undergrowth.
Police have so far given out few details but were quick to quash wild social media rumours the body had been ‘dismembered’.
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Flores, the lawyer who represented Flores’ parents in a 2013 equity release case that was mis-sold, said: “It certainly is very strange and out if character.”
The Marbella lawyer added, “I have spoken to his sister. She is distraught and it doesn’t seem right.”
She is confused by the police’s lack of information and cannot understand why this happened.
I guess the first question is, “Does he still have money in his account?”
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The Olive Press has established that Wade, who was openly gay, moved to Spain to live near his parents who had retired here after buying the stunning €1 million villa in 2005.
After his parents’ deaths a few years ago, he moved into a lavish four-bedroom property in Benahavis with an impressive garden and swimming pool.
They had been plagued by a decade-long legal battle – which they finally won in 2023 – after being mis-sold in an equity release scam which left them in negative equity.
The police have refused to name the man’s identity nor confirm that there is an investigation into murder.
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This week, a Policia Nacional spokesman in Malaga stated that they were still awaiting the autopsy results and could not tell them anything else.
“A body has been found after an extensive search on Saturday.”
We had investigated all possible avenues ever since Andrew JW, the missing man, went missing in August. “The weekend search was successful.”
The Olive Press has more news about Estepona. Click here to see it.
