The mother of a British man who was found deceased at his residence in Spain, with head wounds and evidence of a struggle, has criticized local authorities after the case was shut without criminal charges filed.

The 35-year-old father, Brett Dryden, was discovered at his Mojácar home on the Costa de Almeria on July 21, 2024, after he did not come back from an afternoon nap.

Initially, Spanish authorities concluded he died due to a pulmonary embolism and shut the case. However, a judge ordered to reopen it as a homicide investigation four days later.

The former worker of a Nissan factory had a prominent four-centimeter cut above his right eye, and there were clear indications of a struggle in his home, including bloody handprints on the walls and furniture.

Additionally, his home had been burglarized, with his phone, wallet, designer Gucci sunglasses, and car keys reported missing. CCTV footage captured two individuals fleeing from his property with a bag.

After over a year, Mr. Dryden’s mother, Sandra Adams, 56, was informed by her attorney this week that the Spanish judge overseeing the case has ‘provisionally’ closed it, despite no arrests being made.

‘I feel like they had no intention on trying to solve Brett’s murder,’ Mrs Adams, from Chester-le-Street in County Durham, told the Mail.

‘The phone number connected to the case is no longer in use.’ 

Mr Dryden managed a cannabis bar in Mojácar, where he had lived for five-and-a-half years, having originally moved there with his then-girlfriend when his daughter Charley was three months old. 

He FaceTimed his mother just hours before he was found dead, and had seen her two days before during a trip to Disneyland Paris – a birthday gift for Charley, now six.

After his body was discovered, Spanish police allowed Mr Dryden’s friends to traipse through the alleged crime scene twice to retrieve his beloved dog.

Initial Spanish media reports stated the Brit had been struck in the head by an axe – but authorities then backtracked and claimed his death was the result of a pulmonary embolism triggered by drug use.

A post-mortem carried out by Spanish authorities stated that Mr Dryden was found with a number of injuries after his death, including to his legs, arms, head and neck. 

Some of these were found to be fingernail marks to his face, suggesting he had attempted to fight off an attacker.

Mrs Adams told the Mail how authorities were reluctant to share the results of the post-mortem with her, stating they ‘were trying everything possible to delay handing off the results’. They also claimed Mr Dryden’s injuries were not causally related to his death.

She added: ‘It’s just proved that they probably were going to try and brush it under the carpet.’

When she did receive a copy after hiring a lawyer, the report showed Mr Dryden’s injuries included abrasions to both knees, and abrasions and bruising to his right arm.

He had a contusion to the left side of his face, an abrasion to the right cheekbone, nail wounds to his lips and neck, and further abrasions to his chin and lips.

There was also a four-centimetre wound with irregular edges above his right eye, and bruising to his ear, eye and skull on his left side.

During their internal examination, pathologists also found internal bleeding to the right side of his head and ‘intense encephalic congestion’ – an injury resulting in the brain’s blood vessels becoming swollen and congested. 

When police eventually allowed Mrs Adams’ husband Rob, 53, access to Mr Dryden’s home, where he was able to take photographs of blood smeared around the apartment and on furniture, including the back of the sofa.

He also managed to attain CCTV footage of the street outside his house, which was sent direct to the local police.

The family say the video showed two men running away from the property with a bag. It was the same bag that Mr Dryden was earlier seen leaving his bar with – leaving Mrs Adams to believe it contained the bar’s previous night’s takings, worth around £6,000.

A case report noted that the faces of the men on the CCTV were visible. It is not believed they have ever been traced by police.

Mr Dryden’s family maintain their belief he was murdered and have accused Spanish authorities of prioritising the country’s tourism industry over his death. 

They have repatriated his body to obtain a second post-mortem report at their own expense, and are still waiting on the results. 

Back in the UK, Mr Dryden’s family have vowed to continue their quest for answers.

‘I think they [Spanish Police] are biding their time in the hope that we will go away,’ Mrs Adams told the Mail. 

‘But I’m not going to go away. I’m not going to stop. I have lived this over every day for the past year.

‘It’s terrible not having any closure.’

She continued: ‘If I can highlight the issues out in Spain it will save another family from having to go through this.

‘You’re trying to navigate the system through grief. I know I will not get justice for Brett, but will make sure authorities are held accountable.

‘I will go out to Spain every year, and if I have to go out more frequently I will do it.’ 

Relatives and friends flew to Mojácar to mark the one-year anniversary of Mr Dryden’s death in July.

‘We laid flowers and sat on the beach with all his friends and family were Brett’s ashes were scattered,’ Mrs Adams said. 

Speaking to the Mail previously, she added: ‘All I know is somebody hurt my boy and if it’s the last thing I do in my life I will get justice.

‘It’s terrible to not have any answers all this time later. I try not to imagine what happened because I would just crumble.

‘I just want to know what’s happened to my boy and then maybe I can move on with my life.’

In April, Mr Dryden’s mother and step-father returned to Spain planning to hold a protest outside the local town hall to coincide with what would have been his 36th birthday. 

However, they had to cancel the event after police told them it would be illegal without applying for a licence 40 days prior. They instead intend to stage the protest at a later date.