Missing Florida Woman's Body Found as Airbnb Employed Nicaraguan Migrant Arrested
A rapidly changing story surrounding a Florida woman who vanished while at an Airbnb resort in Costa Rica has now led to both the discovery of a body believed to be Carla Stefaniak and the arrest of Airbnb Security Guard, 32-year-old Bismarck Espinosa Martinez.
Carla Stefaniak had traveled to Costa Rica from Hallandale Beach in Broward County, Florida. She'd checked in for her November 28th return flight to the United States within 24 hours of its departure, but she never showed up to board the plane.
“She had been ready to come back home but she didn’t,” her brother, Mario Caicedo, said in an interview Sunday. “That means somebody kidnapped her or abducted her.”
Martinez is said to have been staying inside the Costa Rica Airbnb, as well as employed as a Security Guard, and is now in police custody.
Carla Stefaniak’s father and brother are also reported to now be in Costa Rica to identify their daughter and sister, respectively. This, after an unidentified female body, was recovered just 300 feet from the Airbnb.
The director general of the Organismo de Investigación Judicial, the law enforcement body overseeing the investigation, said that the suspect would remain in custody amidst interrogations.
Director general Walter Espinoza said that the suspect is also a Nicaraguan migrant who first entered Costa Rica in June. Martinez was believed to be staying in Apartment 7 on the grounds of the facility.
Carla Stefaniak had been staying just next door in Apartment 8, where investigators found a blood-splattered room and articles of clothing as if it had been ransacked.
During a FaceTime call with a friend back home, Carla Stefaniak told a friend she was planning to ask a security guard at the Airbnb to buy her water because of heavy storms occurring.
It's presumed this revelation alongside the possible camera and eyewitness information is what led authorities to Martinez.
It's simply unsafe for Americans to travel abroad, especially in regions where migration is heavy.
Many migrants are oftentimes found to be the lead suspect in rapes and homicides, although the media tries hard to hide this race-realism.
Costa Rica has a crime level of 72.37 which is ranked the 15th most dangerous nation globally, 30% more than the United States of America at 55.84 and is ranked 30th.
This is still a developing story, and we'll update with any additional information as it may arise.
