What Happened to Esther Estepa? Was She a Victim of the TikTok Killer?

A new documentary premiering on Netflix details the disappearance of Esther Estepa and her relationship with the TikTok Killer, José Jurado Montilla. Esther went missing in August 2023, and the last person to see the 42-year-old alive was reportedly Montilla.

Montilla was a convicted serial killer in Spain who'd gotten out of prison after serving 28 years for murdering four people. He was called "El Titi." His original sentence was 123 years, but Spain's Parot Doctrine reduced his sentence, and he was released in 2013, per A&E. He killed again in 2022, and while investigating the case, the police found pictures of Esther. So, what happened?

Esther Estepa disappeared from Gandía, Spain, on the evening of Aug. 22 or Aug. 23, 2023. She'd reportedly been on a five-day hiking trip with Montilla. The two had recently met in Alicante, and on Feb. 2, 2024, her severed head was found by hikers near the N-332 highway. Her skeletal remains were also found in the area, according to Sur.

While the police were investigating Montilla for the 2022 murder of a college student named David in Málaga, several months later, they found disturbing pictures on Montilla's cell phone. The pictures featured a woman's nude body with her face covered and lying on a sleeping bag in a field. One picture looked like she'd been raped, but Montilla denied any wrongdoing.

Experts later determined that Esther had been raped before she was murdered, and she had bruising on her thighs.

She died from blunt force trauma to the head.

Montilla allegedly contacted her family through WhatsApp video calls after she disappeared to inquire about the police investigation, and the killer posted a plea on social media asking for her safe return.

He was called “Dinamita Montilla” on TikTok, and he was arrested after his DNA was found on David's backpack. Montilla was arrested near the Spanish-Portuguese border in May 2024. The police tracked him down through his TikTok page. after authorities tracked him down through his social media accounts. Montilla shared his travels on the platform, and the authorities found him in a bar by following his movements.

The killer is currently in jail in Spain, and he is awaiting trial for the murders of David and Esther. Montilla is reportedly facing a 30-year sentence. His first murder was in 1985 when Montilla shot Francisco González to death in Málaga. He killed again in 1987 when he stabbed and shot two tourists from the U.K. and Germany. Their bodies were later found near the Caminito del Rey trail in Málaga.

Montilla also killed driver Antonio Panigua and burned his remains.