A British woman has been found shot dead in her Costa Blanca home.
The victim’s body was discovered just after 6.30pm on Wednesday after police were called to the property in Elche near Alicante.
Detectives have confirmed she was a British pensioner aged 80 and said they are treating it as a murder.
No arrests have yet been made.
Local reports said the unnamed woman had been shot at least three times at her home on a residential estate called Urbanizacion Torre Azul between Elche and the nearby town of Torrellano.
Worried neighbours are thought to have called police who found her body after a plumber went round for an arranged visit and got no answer when he knocked on the front door.
The victim, who well-placed sources said was going to be 81 in October, had lived alone for several years after the death of her husband.
It is not yet clear if her next-of-kin have been informed.
Although her body was initially thought to have been discovered by the police after calls from neighbours, one local report said a plumber called to the property by the expat found her lying dead himself and dialled 999.
Although the possibility the homicide occurred during a break-in by a burglar intending to steal valuables has not been ruled out, one local unconfirmed report said investigators were not satisfied that was the case from initial inquiries.
The British woman is thought to have been killed shortly before she was found dead.
One neighbour told Spanish press two strangers he described as a couple dressed in black had been seen walking on the residential estate on Wednesday afternoon but was unable to offer any more information.
He said: “I wasn’t able to leave my house yesterday because I’ve got a problem with my leg. The dead woman lived alone. I knew her from sight.”
A spokesman for Spain’s National Police confirmed: “We are investigating the death of a British woman who was shot dead at a property in Elche. We are investigating it as a murder and can confirm she was shot dead.
“The alarm was raised around 6.30pm on Wednesday.
“She was 80 years old and lived alone.
“No arrests have yet been made and the investigation is ongoing. We are not in a position to discuss the possible motive at this stage.”
A source close to the investigation said the possibility she was shot by intruders in a violent burglary had not been ruled out.
Police have not confirmed if anything was missing from the crime scene.
The gunshot wounds the victim suffered are thought to have been fired from close range.
A post-mortem is due to take place in Alicante in the coming hours.
