Costa Rica Security Guard In Custody Over Disappearance Of Florida Woman Carla Stefaniak

TAMPA, FL. (THECOUNT) — Bismarck Espinoza Martinez was taken into custody on Monday evening as a suspect in the disappearance of Carla Stefaniak, an American tourist who went to Costa Rica to celebrate her 36th birthday and never came back.

Martinez, a security guard at the AirBnb property where Stefaniak was staying, made conflicting statements to police, authorities said. He has not yet been charged for any crime.

Several emerging reports out of Costa Rica are indicating a body has been located near the Airbnb villa where South Florida woman Carla Stefaniak went missing last Wednesday.

Several Costa Rican news outlets are reporting a body was found partially buried around noon Monday.

Authorities have not officially identified the body and the missing woman’s South Florida family members are reportedly enroue to the area to assist in the identification process.

CBS Miami, citing Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Department, reports search dogs made the discovery. Authorities are in contact with Stefaniak’s family to make an identification, it says. source

Stefaniak had reportedly been staying at the villa she booked on popular vacation rental website Airbnb.

Her family members last heard from her at 8 p.m. Tuesday. They grew concerned after she didn’t show up for a 1 p.m. flight Wednesday.

Family members alerted both the U.S. Embassy and the FBI, who worked with local authorities in the search.

A grim find has been made in the search for a Florida woman who was reported missing after she failed to return from a trip to Costa Rica. Officials with Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Department say a woman’s body was found at the back of the Airbnb property where 36-tear-old [sic] Carla Stefaniak had been staying, NBC New York reports. The half-buried body, covered in plastic bags, was discovered by tracker dogs, authorities say. In her last text to a friend, Stefaniak complained that the power was going out and said “it’s pretty sketchy here,” reports the BBC. She had been visiting the country with her sister-in-law, who flew out a day earlier. Stefaniak never showed up for her flight home Wednesday. source

Costa Rica is a rugged, rainforested Central American country with coastlines on the Caribbean and Pacific. Though its capital, San Jose, is home to cultural institutions like the Pre-Columbian Gold Museum, Costa Rica is known for its beaches, volcanoes, and biodiversity. Roughly a quarter of its area is made up of protected jungle, teeming with wildlife including spider monkeys and quetzal birds, according to wikipedia.

This is a developing story and will be update as more information is provided by officials. source