The Killer of Encarnita Polo Escaped from Psychiatric Ward and Murdered Her in Her Sleep

Encarnita Polo's killer murdered her in her room while she slept, between Thursday night and Friday morning, "by suffocation or strangulation," something the autopsy will need to confirm precisely. According to police sources, the perpetrator, a 66-year-old man with severe mental deterioration, was confined in the psychiatric ward of the Ávila residence DomusVi Decanos, where he had arrived earlier this week.

The attacker, according to the preliminary reconstruction by the Provincial Judicial Police Brigade, escaped from that area, which was not under special surveillance as the man had no violent history, and entered Polo's room while she slept. There, in the same bed, he killed her. Two orderlies from the residence, alerted by the noise, entered the room and found the singer's lifeless body, which they unsuccessfully tried to revive.

For now, the agents have not found any motive for this crime other than the octogenarian's mental imbalance (a "mental derangement or psychotic episode") or an obsession stemming from senile dementia. In any case, the victim and the perpetrator did not know each other nor had they had time to meet in the mere 48 hours the killer had been admitted to the residence.

The octogenarian, according to investigation officials, has technically not been arrested. He is under police custody in the Psychiatry area of the Ávila Assistance Complex, awaiting a statement to be taken under proper conditions. Meanwhile, the Judicial Police have collected the centre's security footage and begun questioning the staff and residents to determine how the killer could roam freely through the rest of the residence.

Polo was buried this Saturday afternoon at the Isabelo Álvarez Mayorga cemetery in Ávila, after her remains were laid in the wake chapel throughout the day. The popular Seville artist had lived for years in the Ávila capital, where her daughter, Raquel Waitzman Polo, also resided. She announced her mother's death on Friday afternoon. "To me, she was, above all, my mother: a strong, fun woman with a unique character," her daughter stated "with immense sorrow" in a statement collected by Europa Press, where she recalled that for many, she was "an unforgettable singer and actress, a pioneer of flamenco-pop whose voice and personality marked several generations."

In the same statement, her daughter requested privacy at this time to "mourn in silence and peace," and expressed gratitude to all "who admired her and continue to remember her fondly," and to those who accompany her "in this very difficult moment."

Polo was born in the Triana neighborhood of Seville and began her relationship with music as a child, influenced by her family's flamenco environment. In her adolescence, she moved with her family to Barcelona, where she started performing in nightclubs and local radio stations, marking the beginning of her professional career.

One of her great successes came in 1969 with the release of 'Paco, Paco, Paco'. Decades later, the song regained worldwide fame after going viral on the internet. This piece became her personal signature and one of the great Spanish musical phenomena of her time. Another of her well-known singles is 'Pepa Bandera'.

In the 1960s, she consolidated her popularity and moved to Italy to work alongside figures of Italian music such as Claudio Villa and Gigliola Cinquetti. It was in this country that she debuted in cinema alongside Domenico Modugno in the musical comedy 'Scaramouc'.

On television, she also participated in the famous TVE program 'Pasaporte a Dublín', where she shared the stage with other great artists of the time, such as Rocío Jurado, Julio Iglesias, Nino Bravo, Massiel, and Karina.