Art teacher Bianca Pitman who died after 'extreme sex' secretly fled 5,000 miles leaving common law husband in Texas - as he is arrested in Spain for reckless homicide

The American woman reported to have died in Spain after 'extreme sex' had fled to the country to get away from her common law husband, a close friend has told DailyMail.com exclusively.

Bianca Pitman, 43, secretly vanished from her home in San Antonio, Texas, in November in a bid to break from her long-term common-law husband, construction boss Jose Betancourt – who is now in jail being investigated over her death.

First reports said art teacher Pitman died after 'drug-fueled extreme sex' in a luxury vacation apartment in the tourist hotspot of Malaga on Spain's Costa del Sol early Saturday morning.

However investigators are now treating the case as 'gender violence' and homicide. 

Betancourt, 50, is languishing in the city's Alhaurin de la Torre prison after a judge on Monday ruled he should be detained without bail.

Bianca Pitman, 43, secretly vanished from her home in San Antonio, Texas, in November allegedly to escape from her husband Jose Betancourt, DailyMail.com can reveal

Betancourt, 50, is languishing in prison in Spain after a judge on Monday ruled he should be detained without bail

Pitman's body was found in an apartment in Malaga, Spain, with cops initially believing 'extreme sex' had led to her death 

Pitman fled the United States for a new life 5,000 miles away in the city of Xatvia in Valencia in a hush-hush operation to get away from her partner of ten years, according to best friend Valerie Dullnig, 55.

'I was with her the day she left. She could not share it with many people,' Dullnig, also from San Antonio, told DailyMail.com exclusively.

'She and Jose were not married but as they were together so long, they had a common law marriage.'

Dullnig said Betancourt was blindsided by Pitman leaving, having no idea of her plans. Her friend said she found a new life giving English lessons to children where she had settled.

'I'd been in touch with her. She had to get a new phone that she didn't share with many people,' said Dullnig. 'We communicated mostly by Snapchat, because that was safer.

'I got a message last week. She was showing me a new tattoo that she got. She was so happy there. She was sending fun videos of her new life. I can't believe she's gone.

'My daughter went to visit her for spring break in Valencia and she showed her around.

'I don't know how Jose found out where she was or why they met up. But he has a lot of manipulative tactics.

Dullnig’s husband Dave added: ‘He was also financially manipulative. He had control over her phone.’ 

The couple had three adult children between them. Pitman used the name Betancourt on mortgage documents for the home she bought with her alleged killer. 

Pitman fled to the city of Xatvia in Valencia – 350 miles north of Malaga – in a secret operation to get away from her partner of ten years, according to best friend Valerie Dullnig, 55 (left)

Bianca had posted in late March showing that she was in Valencia, Spain 

'She was my best friend,' Dullnig told DailyMal.com. 'She was happy and smart and encouraging, everybody loved her.' 

The accused man's son Gavin Betancourt, 20, declined to comment when contacted by DailyMail.com. There is another son, 25-year-old Zachary Betancourt, and a daughter Promise Pitman, 22. Betancourt's brother Israel, 48, said: 'We have no comment at this time.'

According to early reports, the former couple had spent several days in the Mediterranean coastal resort before the tragedy in the historic Plaza Enrique Garcia Herrera area.

Pitman's body was discovered by medics in the Airbnb-style apartment after Betancourt made a desperate call to emergency services at 5.30am when she became unresponsive. Police then arrived and he was immediately arrested.

His art teacher ex was transferred from the apartment to the Institute of Legal Medicine for an autopsy and other forensic studies.

Spanish police reportedly believed early in the investigation that Pitman and Betancourt were performing 'extreme' or risky sex games while high on drugs. It was also reported that drugs were found in the apartment. However, it is now unclear where that reported line of inquiry stands.

Pitman died inside The Clock House, a luxury apartment complex in the heart of the historic center of Malaga, where rooms cost up to $430 a night.

Dullnig said she had no idea why her friend was in Malaga – 350 miles south of Xatvia. 

'I don't know why she was there. She didn't tell me she was going to Malaga,' said close friend Dullnig.

'She was an art teacher in San Antonio and a photographer. She was my best friend, she was happy and smart and encouraging, everybody loved her.

'Everyone who met her felt better for being part of her life.

'Her students loved her and kept in touch with her after they graduated, she was such a popular figure.'  

Dullnig said: 'She was very close with her children. Her daughter is best friends with my daughter. She had a great relationship with them.

'It was the four of us, we were like a team. Everybody is shocked by this.'

Addressing the early reports of drugs being involved, she said: 'I don't know Jose well enough to know about the drugs and I was surprised to read that.

'That was not part of our friendship. That's not the friend that I know and I don't ever think she would do drugs.

'Her daughter Promise is flying in to San Antonio. Her brother is here and her half-brother. They have a lot to figure out.

'Promise has a good friend that has been fielding her phone calls and I've been in touch with them, but I know that she's just broken.'

Pitman and Betancourt had three children between them, Promise, 22 (left), Gavin, 20 (right) and Zachary, 25

Pitman spoke warmly of her family, saying: I like spending time with my kids, going to see movies, reading books and playing with animals… 'I really like helping my daughter with her speech and debate stuff. I always love making art, that's a given'

Speaking of Pitman's dedication to her job as an educator in San Antonio, the friend continued, speaking in the present tense: 'Bianca is a very beloved art teacher.

'She actually started teaching about 10 years ago maybe 12 at the school in San Antonio.

'She had lots of dogs, cats and a pet goat. She was such an animal lover. She brought the goat to a property outside San Antonio for people to care for it. She loved photography and hanging out with friends.

'I want people to know that she was full of life. She was a talented beautiful friend. I just want her to be remembered for who she was, everybody loved her.'

Pitman worked at San Antonio's MacArthur High School as an art teacher where she gave a Q&A interview to its online newspaper when she joined in 2016.

The mom said she picked MacArthur because it was 'close to home' and 'I know so many of the students here' following a stint at the city's Garner Middle School.

Tragically, asked what is the one thing she really wants, she replied: 'I don't long for material things; that's not important to me.

'I really want to grow old comfortably and to have an uneventful tragedy-free rest of my life.'

Pitman worked at San Antonio's MacArthur High School as an art teacher where she gave a Q&A interview to its online newspaper when she joined

Pitman spoke warmly of her family, saying: I like spending time with my kids, going to see movies, reading books and playing with animals…

'I really like helping my daughter with her speech and debate stuff. I always love making art, that's a given.'

She reinforced the message with the words: 'I love Thanksgiving because I get to spend quality time with family; food is always a great part of that holiday.'

Speaking of her pets, she said: 'I have several dogs including my gorgeous Great Dane, Sir Elliott; I have my best buddy June Bug, who is a Nubian goat we had rescued and raised.'

Asked for her idea of fun, she said: 'When you have a great time and you laugh so hard your stomach hurts; usually when you are just hanging out with friends.'

Cops in Malaga have refused to give further details of the case. A spokesperson for Policia Nacional told DailyMail.com: 'The case is still open and we cannot comment on specifics.'

A worker at a café next door to the apartment building where the tragedy happened, who would only give her name as Mina, told DailyMail.com: 'It's crazy. Stuff like this does not really happen around here.

'I'm from Argentina where violence like this is more common. If he did kill her, I hope they keep him behind bars.'

Antonio Fernandez, 40, who runs a key cutting store across the square, said: 'I read it was a sex game gone wrong. Everyone is talking about this, because this is something that just doesn't happen here.'