While traveling, she met a man who shared his adventures on TikTok. Their journey took a dark turn, ending in murder.
It was just an ordinary hostel. You crash, take a shower, and in the morning, you're off again on your journey. You meet random people who vanish by the next day. You often don't even remember your roommate's name. Such places are full of brief encounters that end as quickly as they began.
Traveler in Southern Spain
Ester was a 42-year-old Spaniard from Seville who decided to embark on a longer solo trip through the south of the country in 2023. During her trip, she mainly explored the area around Málaga in Andalusia. Her journey was supposed to be a simple adventure. She planned a few days in nature, meeting new faces with similar interests, and discovering towns and landscapes at her own pace. It wasn’t an extreme expedition or a risky journey into the wild.
The normality of the whole trip might be the scariest part of this story. She traveled like thousands of others.
In Southern Spain, you can easily meet like-minded people. The local lifestyle is more relaxed and spontaneous. It’s not uncommon to hitchhike or catch a ride with a local farmer for a few miles. You often feel like there’s no real danger.
Yet, even the most ordinary encounter can sometimes turn problematic. In this case, it was doubly true. Only later did it make sense who the strange drifter was that Ester met in the hostel...
Met a Popular TikToker
Ester and the man she met at the hostel decided to continue their journey together after a short conversation. He was an experienced wanderer with hundreds of miles logged. Plus, he'd built his following on social media. He went by the nickname "Dinamita" on TikTok and shared videos from his travels across Spain.
He talked about freedom, long journeys, and life outside the system. Even though he was over sixty, his profile was followed by thousands of young people who admired his life on the road.
Ester and he traveled for a few days along the coast, eventually heading on a long hike between Dénia and Gandía. Investigators say they walked about 37 kilometers together in just one day. Ester shared photos from the trip with her family—sending panoramas of the coast, sea views, and updates about enjoying the journey. No one knew these would be the last hours anyone saw Ester alive.
Strange Messages About Failing and a New Life
Before the police investigation began, a series of strange messages arrived that Ester sent to her mother. In one, she wrote: "I don't have a job, I’m living on the street with two Argentinian friends." In another message, she added: "I've lied to you so many times; I'm totally down. Soon I won't have a phone, might sell it."
The messages were confusing and didn’t resemble how Ester usually communicated. The most shocking part for her family was her final sentence: "I love you very much, but I’ve been a bad daughter. I’m leaving Spain to start a new life in Buenos Aires."
Her mom didn’t understand. "She didn't have any friends there," she later told the media. "And she didn’t even have a passport. How would she get to Argentina? That’s when I started doubting that she wrote those messages," she recalls.
To this day, it’s unclear who actually sent those messages. Investigators have only said that their content seemed unusual and didn’t match Ester's typical communication style.
Sudden Silence
Then came silence, and Ester never contacted her family again. By August 2023, this silence stretched uncomfortably long. The phone was unavailable for several days, and messages went unread. Her family started to seriously worry. "It wasn't typical for her. Ester always checked in," her mother later told Spanish media. When they didn’t hear from her further, they turned to the police and reported her missing. "I wrote that if she didn't send me a voice message, I’d call the police. She sent nothing, so I called," her mom added. Investigators immediately began trying to find out where Ester was last seen.
Soon, it became clear that the last confirmed location was a hospital in Gandía. That's where she last contacted her family. On August 23, Ester arrived there after the strenuous walk she took with the man whose identity the police still didn’t know at the time. It turned out he even called an ambulance for his traveling companion.
Doctors examined Ester shortly after 9:30 PM. At the hospital, they treated her swollen foot and prescribed ibuprofen. She stayed there for several hours before being discharged in the early morning. Around 4:30 AM, she left the hospital on her own. That was the last moment anybody saw her alive.
Police Found the Suspect Thanks to TikTok
As police began reconstructing the last days of Ester's journey, they first encountered the name José Jurado Montilla. According to available information, he was the unknown drifter she spent her last days with.
Montilla told police that their paths simply parted after leaving the hospital. He claimed they said goodbye, and each went their separate ways. However, investigators weren’t convinced that events unfolded precisely as he described. Yet, they lacked enough evidence to conclusively disprove his story.
His profile was followed by thousands. To most, he seemed just like another quirky traveler with a backpack, sleeping outdoors and hiking long stretches across Spain. Some of his videos were even made during his time with Ester. Social media helped the police reconstruct his movements at the time of Ester's disappearance.
Shortly after she vanished, Montilla also began posting strange videos. In them, he appeared calm as if nothing had happened. In one, he looked directly into the camera and said, "I think about my friend all day. Ester, if you see this, please contact me or your family."
Serial Killer from the Past
When police checked his name in databases, there came a shocking discovery. The man traveling with Ester was actually a serial killer. He’d been on their radar for another murder for some time, but more on that later.
In the 80s, Montilla had already been imprisoned for a series of brutal murders that shook the entire Andalusia region. His victims were people he met on the road or in remote areas of the region. According to investigators, they were mostly random victims—hitchhikers or people who came into contact with him during travels. He had reportedly shot and robbed some in remote parts of the province.
The court had sentenced him to 123 years in prison. However, he ultimately spent only 28 years behind bars and was released in 2013 after the European Court of Human Rights struck down the so-called Parot Doctrine. This decision led to the early release of several prisoners convicted of very serious crimes, including Montilla.
Killed Six Times
The breakthrough in the whole case came a year later—and due to a completely different investigation. In May 2024, police arrested José Jurado Montilla in a bar in the village of Valdebótoa near the Portuguese border. But this arrest wasn't over Ester's disappearance. He was detained in connection with an older case—the murder of a 21-year-old young man named David.
His body was found on August 30, 2022, in the natural area of Montes de Málaga. The young man had severe gunshot wounds, and investigators didn't know for a long time who was behind the murder. Only later investigations and digital footprint analysis led the police to Montilla. His DNA was found on the victim's backpack.
According to the charges, he had first been watching the young man while he was collecting carob—tree pods commonly collected in southern Spain at the end of summer. He then engaged him in conversation and waited until they were in a place where no help was available. Then he allegedly shot him from close range with a shotgun. The last shot reportedly hit the victim’s head as he lay on the ground.
He then turned the body over, took his backpack, and disappeared. The value of the stolen items, according to the indictment, did not exceed two hundred euros. Police later found the victim's backpack with Montilla. Forensic analysis confirmed it also contained his DNA.
Police managed to track Montilla down with the help of the videos he posted on TikTok. However, his arrest also reopened questions about Ester’s disappearance, with whom Montilla was traveling just a year later.
Cold-Blooded Murder in the Middle of Nowhere
After Montilla’s arrest, investigators started to re-evaluate Ester's disappearance. The man suspected of murdering the young man in the Málaga mountains was also among the last people in contact with her. Not to mention that he was a serial killer.
Ten months after Ester vanished, passersby found human remains near Gandía. Investigators confirmed they belonged to Ester. Less than a year after her disappearance, the police re-examined Montilla's movements at the time. For her family, it was the worst news they could receive. "All we wanted was to know where she was," her mother told the media. "We never imagined she would be found like this."
According to the indictment, after leaving the hospital, Montilla led Ester to an isolated spot outside the city. The area between Gandía and the surrounding fields is full of deserted paths and overgrown plots. It was there he supposedly shot her and left her body in the countryside, similar to what he did to David.
Investigators believe robbery may have been the motive since some of Ester's personal belongings were missing. Plus, the previous murders from the 80s also had a similar pattern.
Montilla Still Awaits Trial
Montilla is back behind bars today, awaiting trial. The prosecution is demanding 26 years in prison for the murder of student David. They have yet to comment on the case of Ester Estepa Pérez.
The case has attracted media attention across Spain, not just because of the brutal murders but also due to the chilling irony. A man, once convicted as a serial killer, had over the years cultivated the image of a travel influencer on social media. That’s why the case has been dubbed the "TikTok killer."
What started as an ordinary meeting between two travelers in a hostel eventually turned into one of the most chilling criminal cases in recent years in Spain.
