Stalker kills Colombian influencer, stuffs body in suitcase: cops
Key Points:
- Matthew Ashley Foster-Smith, a 46-year-old British man with prior stalking convictions, was arrested in Ecuador for the murder of Colombian influencer Natalia Villalba, whose body was found stuffed in a suitcase in a Bogota apartment.
- Villalba was killed on June 18, and Foster-Smith fled Colombia shortly after the crime, attempting to provide an alibi by claiming he was watching a World Cup game in an Irish bar.
- Authorities discovered Villalba's body days later after cleaning staff entered her room post-reservation, while Foster-Smith was apprehended at Quito airport as he prepared to return to the UK.
- Colombian and British police collaborated on the arrest, with Bogota's mayor promising justice for Villalba; Foster-Smith had recently been released from prison after serving sentences for stalking and revenge porn offenses.
- Interpol had issued a red notice for Foster-Smith prior to his capture, and Colombian prosecutors allege he murdered Villalba and tried to conceal the crime before fleeing.