The first autopsy pointed to a heart attack. Belén L. is now free on €80,000 bail while the Vielha court examines a possible homicide linked to Josep Juanpere's death in Baqueira.
The first autopsy pointed to a heart attack. That finding did not close the case. Investigators are examining what happened before architect Josep Juanpere died at the couple's apartment in Baqueira.
Belén L. left court after paying €80,000 in bail. She had been arrested in Madrid and appeared before the Vielha court on Friday, 25 September 2026. The judge ordered preventive detention but allowed her release on bail while examining her alleged connection to the death. Agencia EFE reported the arrest and the opening of the judicial investigation.
The money was deposited within two hours. Belén L. then obtained provisional release. She remains under investigation for a possible homicide offence linked to Juanpere's death. The court's decision is not a finding of guilt.
One reported working hypothesis is that Juanpere may have been poisoned, but this has not been publicly established as the cause of death.
The legal case moved forward despite the initial autopsy. Several reports said doctors first treated the death as natural before investigators continued to examine the surrounding facts.
Investigators have focused on gaps in the account of the hours before Juanpere died. He and Belén L. had been together for two years. They chose to spend Christmas at his second home in the resort.
Juanpere had already suffered an episode of illness on 24 December. He was taken to hospital. After recovering several hours later, he was discharged on Christmas Day and spent the day normally, according to the account under investigation.
On 26 December, he stopped answering calls. His partner also became unreachable. That detail drew the attention of investigators.
Belén L. was reportedly interested in natural therapies. That may explain why no medical professional was contacted when Juanpere became unwell. It remains a reported possibility, not an established explanation for his death.
After her release, the court kept restrictions in place, including a ban on leaving Spain. The case remains under judicial secrecy, so the available public record does not establish the precise evidence behind the homicide suspicion.
The family's alarm grew when the architect's nephew called repeatedly at the Baqueira residence. He waited nearly an hour. No one answered, and the door stayed closed.
When he entered, he found Juanpere dead. Belén L. was practising yoga and appeared to be in a state of shock. The nephew called emergency services himself.
He is now a central witness in the investigation. He is also in hospital in an induced coma because of a pulmonary illness. During the nine months since the death, he has given evidence on numerous occasions.
His condition creates a serious practical problem. The case depends heavily on rebuilding the sequence of events inside the apartment.
The Mossos d'Esquadra arrested Belén L. on Wednesday in Madrid. Officers from the Criminal Investigation Division in the Alt Pirineu i Aran area are handling the inquiry. The case remains under judicial secrecy at the Vielha court.
The Tribunal Superior de Justícia de Catalunya confirmed the arrest. It described the woman as allegedly connected to her partner's death in Baqueira. The Catalan police force also said publicly that the investigation was being conducted under secrecy.
The case had already led to a formal restriction. In January, the architect's partner was stripped of her passport after investigators identified unanswered issues.
The court's decision to seek preventive detention with an €80,000 bail option shows that the inquiry has moved beyond the original medical explanation. It does not establish guilt.
The earlier court action was also covered in a previous report on the Vielha proceedings. The central facts have not changed. The first autopsy indicated an infarction, while the judicial inquiry examines whether the surrounding circumstances fit that conclusion.
The case turns on a clash between the preliminary medical finding and a series of unanswered events. Calls went unanswered. The door was not opened for the nephew. He found Juanpere dead. The court is also examining why a possible homicide should be investigated.
None of these details proves criminal responsibility on its own. Together, they explain why the court has kept the case open. Bail did not end the proceedings.
The heart attack finding is not the final answer. Suspicion is not proof. The €80,000 bail changed Belén L.'s custody status, but not her legal position as an investigated person.
The Vielha court still has to examine the missing hours and weigh the testimony against the medical evidence. For now, the precise conclusion is limited: the original explanation did not settle the case.
