THE former boyfriend of Laura Alonso, the Galicia-born teenager found dead on Saturday after being missing for a week, has confessed to her murder.

Javier Cruz García, 32, was taken in for questioning on Sunday in connection with the 19-year-old’s death.

Her body was found on a piece of wasteland in a remote mountainous area near her home town of Toén (Ourense).

Laura’s mobile phone was discovered with the SIM card and battery removed, and her jacket and car at some distance from her body.

Javier is said to have broken down and confessed under the pressure of intense questioning last night.

He was also very familiar with the area where her body was discovered.

Additionally, Laura is said to have reported him to the police in 2007, when she was 17 and he was 29, for violent behaviour towards her, but later dropped the charges when his family pressed her to do so.

The motives of the young man, who works in the A Valenzá garage, and the cause of his ex-girlfriend’s death, have not yet been revealed.

Laura was due to have a post-mortem examination today.