British man accused of murdering Natalia Villalba in Bogotá sent messages to his London bank before fleeing
Matthew Foster, a British citizen alleged by Colombian authorities to be responsible for the homicide of Natalia Villalba Angarita in a building in northern Bogotá, contacted his financial institution in the United Kingdom via messages in which he claimed to be kidnapped, according to revelations by
British man accused of murdering Natalia Villalba in Bogotá sent messages to his London bank before fleeing
Matthew Foster, a man of British nationality whom Colombian authorities identify as the principal suspect in the murder of Natalia Villalba Angarita, used his mobile telephone to send messages to his bank located in London moments before attempting to flee the country. In those messages, the alleged killer claimed he was being held kidnapped, revealed the National Institute of Forensic Medicine in the course of inquiries being conducted into the crime that occurred in an exclusive residential complex in northern Bogotá.
Villalba Angarita, a young woman whose body was found lifeless inside a suitcase in the apartment she shared with Foster, became the victim of one of the most high-profile cases of gender violence in the Colombian capital in recent months. The Public Prosecutor's Office and the Bogotá Metropolitan Police maintain an active international arrest warrant against the citizen of the United Kingdom, who managed to leave national territory before the judicial order could be executed.
Forensic medicine experts analysed the content of the messages that Foster exchanged with representatives of his banking institution. In said communications, the British man attempted to justify suspicious transactions or request urgent transfers under the argument that a third party was keeping him deprived of his freedom. This manoeuvre, according to investigators, was part of a deliberate strategy to obstruct the progress of the investigation and create a smokescreen that would divert the attention of the security agencies.
The information was disclosed by the newspaper El Tiempo, which had access to the findings of the National Institute of Forensic Medicine and Forensic Sciences. Detectives on the case believe that sending these messages not only sought to manipulate the financial institution, but also to generate a false lead that would make authorities believe that the implicated party was a victim of a crime and not the perpetrator of the homicide.
Natalia Villalba was discovered dead in circumstances still being thoroughly investigated. The building where the events occurred, located in a high-income residential area in northern Bogotá, had been shared by the couple for a time. Neighbours and acquaintances of the victim described Foster as a reserved person whose behaviour attracted attention after the young woman stopped responding to messages and disappeared from public spaces.
London Police have collaborated with Colombian agencies to locate the whereabouts of the fugitive. Interpol issued a red notice that allows law enforcement forces from multiple countries to arrest him immediately if he attempts to cross a border or access international banking services. However, to date his capture has not been confirmed nor the country where he might be in hiding.
The case has caused shock in public opinion due to the brutality with which a young woman was deprived of her life and the ease with which the principal suspect abandoned Colombia despite migration controls. Organisations defending women's rights are demanding that the proceedings advance expeditiously and that, once located, Foster be extradited to answer to Colombian justice for the crime of aggravated femicide.
Source: El Tiempo
Source: Google News CO — Bogotá