A 38-year-old former Spanish professional footballer, Santiago Otero, was found dead in his bath after being electrocuted in a freak domestic accident Wednesday, October 20. Otero's wife raised the alarm after discovering him lifeless alongside his mobile at their home in Madrid. Police have reason to believe that he was electrocuted after his phone fell into the water while he was charging it. Otero is believed to have died up to ten hours earlier as he took a bath after his partner left for work.
"Paramedics could only confirm he was dead on arrival. His partner is being assisted by trauma counsellors. The causes are being investigated by police," a spokesman for a regional government-run emergency services coordination centre tweeted. According to local reports, Otero had a burn mark on his chest where his phone was found. Paramedics reached the scene around 8 am on Wednesday.
Who was Santiago Otero?
Santiago Otero hailed from the Galician town of Viveiro north of the city of Lugo. The father-of-two had retired from professional football after playing as a centre-forward for several clubs. He played for Real Oviedo's youth side for a season as well as his hometown team and other Galician sides including Xove Lago and Folgueiro. Otero still played seven-a-side football in his spare time. He had moved to Madrid from his native Galicia for work reasons and was living in the Spanish capital's Latina neighbourhood.
Santiago Otero's former team paid tribute
No comments on the incident were made by Spanish National Police. The results of the post-mortem were not made public, they were sent directly to a court tasked with a routine probe into the death instead, as is normal in Spain. "Today is a sad day for our football family due to the death of our former player. He was a great companion and a friend to us all, who brightened up our afternoons with his goals and laughter. We send our condolences to his family and friends. Rest in peace. So long friend, " Union Deportivo Folgueiro said in a statement after learning of the tragedy.
