British citizen arrested in Ecuador for murder of woman found in suitcase in Bogotá
Matthew Foster, a man of British nationality, was captured at Quito airport in Ecuador, accused of having killed Natalia Villalba, a 36-year-old woman whose body was found inside a suitcase in an apartment in northern Bogotá.
British citizen arrested in Ecuador for murder of woman found in suitcase in Bogotá
Ecuadorian authorities apprehended Matthew Foster, a man of British origin, at Quito's international airport. The foreigner is identified as the prime suspect in the murder of Natalia Villalba, a 36-year-old woman from Cúcuta whose body was found on 22 June inside a suitcase in a residence at the Morph building, located in the Chicó sector, in northern Bogotá.
According to reports published by Pulzo, the arrest took place on Friday, 26 June after a Colombian judge issued the corresponding arrest warrant and a red Interpol notice was activated to locate the fugitive. Bogotá's mayor, Carlos Fernando Galán, confirmed that these judicial measures were carried out on the same day Foster was intercepted in Ecuadorian territory.
Prosecutors' investigators indicate that the British man allegedly entered the apartment where the victim was, who was alone at that moment. There, he allegedly physically assaulted her until causing her death. He then allegedly manipulated the body to place it in a suitcase. After these acts, he allegedly carried out various actions to cover up what had happened, alter the scene and flee the location.
Foster arrived in Ecuador by land, crossing the border from Colombia. It is presumed that he intended to undertake a long-distance escape to evade Colombian justice.
The detainee has a criminal record in his native country. He remained in custody for more than two years after being convicted of harassment. The accusations against him included having threatened two of his ex-partners.
Bogotá's Prosecutor's Office obtained the arrest warrant which, together with the Interpol red notice, allowed officers from Ecuador's National Police to carry out the apprehension at Quito airport.
Source: Google News CO — Bogotá