Google to remove image of dead teenager from Maps

A satellite image from Richmond, California, distressed the family of a murdered teenager

Google has agreed to remove from its Maps service a satellite image that shows a dead teenager.

Kevin Barrera was shot in 2009. His body was found near a railway line in Richmond, California.

Jose Barrera told KTVU-TV he had asked Google to remove the image, which appears to show a police car and officers surrounding a body, out of respect for his son.

It said replacing the image could take eight days.

Mr Barrera said: "When I see this image, that's still like that happened yesterday. And that brings me back to a lot of memories."

Google Maps vice-president Brian McClendon said: "Since the media first contacted us about the image, we've been looking at different technical solutions.

"Google has never accelerated the replacement of updated satellite imagery from our maps before, but given the circumstance we wanted to make an exception in this case."

Google Maps uses a selection of images collected by satellite and at street level by cameras mounted on vehicles.

The satellite images tend to be between one and three years old.

Unlike for the pictures in its StreetView service, there is no facility to report satellite images.

The search giant takes a number of steps to protect privacy of individuals when collecting images for StreetView, including blurring faces and number plates.