Murder or accident? Mystery of Mango tycoon's hiking death after son's arrest

When Jonathan Andic, son of the late founder of one of Europe's biggest clothing empires, posted €1m (£865,000) in bail shortly after being arrested in connection with his father's death, it was the latest twist in a saga that has gripped and mystified Spain.

Isak Andic, who created the Mango clothes brand, died at the age of 71 on 14 December 2024 after falling around 500ft (150m) from a cliff in the mountainous Montserrat natural park north of Barcelona. The two men were hiking there together.

Initially, police had treated it as a tragic accident that had befallen one of Spain's wealthiest individuals.

But this week his son was arrested when a judge in Martorell near Barcelona decided there was "enough evidence to consider the death of [Isak Andic] non-accidental, with the active and premeditated participation of [Jonathan Andic] in the death of his father".

The 45-year-old defends his innocence.

Jonathan Andic, the Mango founder's eldest child, had called emergency services who recovered the body. He told police that he been walking ahead of his father when he heard the sound of rocks sliding and turned to see that Isak Andic had fallen.

But within weeks investigators questioned him a second time, on this occasion for three hours. Several months later, in October 2025, he was formally put under investigation after the case had been reopened.

Soon after, the executors of Isak Andic's will published a statement insisting on Jonathan's innocence, saying "we have been witnesses of how the pain of private grief has been aggravated by a public debate that causes greater suffering".

As the investigation continued, police questioned Jonathan's two sisters and uncle.

Jonathan Andic's arrest this week appeared to be based on several allegations regarding the circumstances of his father's death and the fateful hike.

Investigators believe that the kind of slip Jonathan describes his father as suffering would have been unlikely in the spot where the fall happened. The two men were near some caves in the area of Collbató, following a picturesque, relatively undemanding route that is common for families and schoolchildren.

They suspect that a footmark where Jonathan said his father fell did not match up with someone slipping and falling.

Also, they believe the position of the Mango founder's body and injuries he sustained were inconsistent with an accidental fall. The forensic report found that it appeared "as if he had launched himself down a slide, feet first".

Investigators have detected what they think are contradictions in Jonathan's testimonies regarding his own position when his father fell.

In one he said he was ahead of his father, but in another they were closer together. Also, he had initially told police that his father had been taking photos with his phone moments before his fall. Yet the phone was found in Isak Andic's pocket when his body was recovered.