A new and mysterious case has shaken Catalan society. Nine months after the death of renowned architect Josep Juanpere at his home in Baqueira, what initially appeared to be a death from natural causes has taken an unexpected turn: the Catalan police have arrested his partner over her alleged involvement in his death.
Juanpere, 72, had gone to Vielha hospital just two days before he died, after feeling unwell. The first autopsy found no signs of violence, but doubts about the circumstances of his death led to an investigation which, months later, has resulted this week in the arrest of the woman who was with him during his final hours.
The architect died on 26 December 2025 at his second home in Baqueira, in the Val d’Aran (Lleida), where he was spending the Christmas holidays with his partner. Two days earlier, on Christmas Eve, he had gone to Vielha hospital after feeling unwell and remained there for several hours under observation.
Initially, everything pointed to a natural death. The first forensic examination found no signs of violence and attributed the death to a coronary problem. However, the circumstances of his death ended up under investigation by the court in Vielha, which is keeping proceedings under seal.
The case has taken a turn this week with the arrest in Madrid of Juanpere’s partner, a woman of around 63, over her alleged connection to the architect’s death. According to ‘El Mundo’, she comes from a family that made its fortune in the property and hotel sectors and maintains close links with prominent social and business circles.
Investigators have also carried out searches and other procedural steps while the detainee awaits her appearance before the court handling the case.
Another development has now added to concern around the investigation: Juanpere’s nephew, regarded as a key witness because he was the one who found the architect’s body, is in a coma, according to ‘El Confidencial’. He has been in a private clinic for weeks with a lung condition, the newspaper reports.
From Vielha hospital to his death in Baqueira
The last 48 hours of Juanpere’s life are one of the key elements in the case. The architect began to feel unwell on 24 December and went to Vielha hospital, where he was treated and kept under observation for several hours, according to local media. He later returned to the house in Baqueira where he was spending Christmas.
Two days later, on 26 December, he was found dead in the property. According to reports on the investigation, members of Juanpere’s family had tried to contact him without success. Eventually, one of his nephews went to the house and spent nearly an hour at the door, ringing without getting an answer, until the architect’s partner let him in. Once inside, he found Juanpere dead and the woman apparently in a state of shock, according to ‘El Periódico’.
At that point, nothing obviously pointed to a violent death, although one detail raised questions: Juanpere’s partner had not previously called the emergency services. The body showed no external signs of violence and the first forensic conclusions pointed to death from natural causes.
However, the case did not close. The circumstances surrounding the death led investigators to continue their inquiries, and the court in Vielha eventually opened an investigation that has been conducted for months with great discretion.
The nephew who found Juanpere, in a coma
Josep Juanpere’s nephew, a key figure in reconstructing the circumstances in which the architect was found, is currently in a coma, according to ‘El Confidencial’.
He was the one who went to the house in Baqueira on 26 December after the family had been unable to contact Juanpere. His account is particularly important to investigators because he was one of the first people to enter the house after Juanpere’s death and was able to see directly the state of the property and of those present.
A first autopsy that found no signs of violence
One of the main unanswered questions lies precisely in the initial forensic findings. The first autopsy found no indication of violence and pointed to a coronary problem as the cause of death. Those conclusions explain why Juanpere’s death was initially treated as a natural one.
Subsequent investigations, however, led to the widening of inquiries into what happened during his final hours. Nine months on, investigators believe that there is sufficient evidence to investigate a possible criminal death and to arrest the person who was with the architect during those days.
The secrecy surrounding the proceedings makes it impossible for now to know exactly what evidence has prompted this change of course, or what investigators’ precise theory is on how the death may have occurred. Nor have all the results of the later forensic tests, or the element that proved decisive in turning a death initially deemed natural into one now being investigated as a possible homicide, been made public.
Juanpere’s partner arrested
The woman who was with Juanpere that Christmas is now at the centre of the investigation. The Catalan police have arrested her in Madrid over her alleged involvement in the architect’s death, after roughly nine months of inquiries.
Investigators have tried to reconstruct what happened between Juanpere’s visit to hospital on 24 December and his death two days later, a period considered crucial to clarifying the case.
The detainee must appear before the judicial authorities, and it will be for the judge to determine her legal status and decide on any precautionary measures. Her arrest does not amount to a declaration of guilt and, as the proceedings move forward, she continues to be protected by the presumption of innocence.
Searches and an investigation under seal
The arrest has been accompanied by new police actions linked to the investigation. The case remains under seal, so very few details have emerged about the evidence gathered over these nine months or about the elements investigators consider important for clarifying the death.
This lack of information helps explain why some of the main questions in the case remain open: what happened after Juanpere returned from hospital, what took place during his final hours and what investigators have discovered to move from an apparently natural death to looking into a possible criminal killing.
The answers will now depend on the progress of the judicial investigation and on the outcome of the measures carried out.
Who was Josep Juanpere?
Josep Juanpere i Miret was co-founder of GCA Architects, one of Spain’s architecture and interior design firms with the strongest presence in corporate, hotel and residential projects. Juanpere set up the practice in Barcelona in 1986 together with Antonio Puig. Over the years, GCA took part in numerous projects for major national and international companies and brands.
Juanpere also had a close friendship with Isak Andic, founder of Mango, whose death likewise ended up under judicial investigation. Andic died in December 2024 after falling down a ravine during an excursion in Montserrat. The case, initially closed and later reopened, ultimately placed his son Jonathan Andic under investigation; he was arrested in May 2026 over his alleged involvement in his father’s death.
The relationship between Juanpere and Andic went beyond the personal sphere. GCA Architects worked for Mango on various projects, and Juanpere was responsible for the interior design of the ‘Nirvana Formentera’, Andic’s sailing yacht. After the businessman’s death, Juanpere penned an emotional farewell in which he described him as a “great friend”.