Man arrested in death of US tourist in Costa Rica

SAN JOSE: A man was arrested in Costa Rica Tuesday (Dec 4) over the suspected murder of a US tourist who has been missing for a week, police said.

Carla Stefaniak, a Venezuelan-born resident of Florida, had traveled to the Central American country to celebrate her birthday with a relative.

A Nicaraguan national, Bismarck Espinoza Martinez, 36, was arrested in the case, according to police.

The suspect was a security guard at the hotel Les Mas de Provence, in the mountainous area of San Antonio de Escazu, southwest of the capital, where the tourist was staying, authorities said.

Stefaniak, 36, was reported missing Nov 28 after she failed to return home from her vacation.

Police on Monday found the remains of a woman near the hotel. Fingerprints were being compared with those of Stefaniak.

The person whose body was found was stabbed multiple times and also received a blow to the head, police said.

The suspected murder is a nightmare for Costa Rica's tourism industry - its main source of income. The country, famous for its beaches, surfing and wildlife-rich jungles, welcomes between two million and three million tourists every year.