Spanish police hunt killer who committed 'Seven-style' double murder

Elderly siblings had been strangled and left for dead over a month before officers found their bodies

The flat was searched by officers after neighbours complained about the smell (Getty Images)

A killer who committed a double murder in the style of scenes from the neo-noir thriller Seven is being pursued by police in Spain.

The unidentified culprit arranged the bodies of elderly siblings Juan and Araceli Bellido, 79 and 75 respectively, in a room full of air fresheners in an east Valencia apartment suite.

The flat was searched by officers after neighbours complained about the smell of the decomposing bodies, finding the pair had been killed at least a month before they were discovered.

The crime was described by detectives as being a copycat of a scene from the 1995 blockbuster, in which two investigators discover a murdered man in a room filled with hanging car air fresheners.

The Bellido siblings had both been strangled before being tied up with ropes and wrapped in sleeping bags filled with cat litter, an initial post-mortem showed.

Police concluded that the unusual arrangement was designed to prevent the stench of decomposition permeating for several weeks.

The apartment had not been broken into and every door had been locked according to officers on the scene, The Local reported.

The stench was first reported in mid-May, when warmer temperatures caused it to increase to unbearable levels inside the apartment block.

Detectives are keen to trace a young man who had looked after the pair while Juan was recovering from a recent operation.

Neighbours told police they had spotted an unknown man leaving the siblings’ flat some time in the first week of May.

When confronted, the man reportedly said that Juan and Araceli would be absent for some time while they visited their ancestral home and saw family.

Neighbours failed to report the smell earlier as they believed the Bellidos were simply on holiday.

Seven became a cult hit on release and followed two detectives as they investigated grizzly murders based on the Seven Deadly Sins from the Bible.

It took over $300 million at the global box office and starred Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman in the lead roles.

The Independent has contacted Valencia Police Force for further comment.