Natalia Villalba was discovered by a cleaner at her apartment in Bogotá, Colombia, on June 22
Credit: Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Natalia Villalba, a 36-year-old Colombian model and influencer, was found dead inside a suitcase in a luxury short-term rental apartment on June 22
- Matthew Ashley Foster-Smith, a 46-year-old British man, was arrested on suspicion of aggravated femicide Villalba and tampering with evidence
- Villalba had been staying in the apartment complex in El Chicó, an affluent neighborhood north of Bogotá, Colombia, and was discovered by a cleaner stuffed inside a suitcase on June 22
Natalia Villalba, a Colombian model and influencer, was found dead inside a suitcase in a luxury short-term rental apartment on June 22. She was 36.
Villalba had been staying in the apartment complex in El Chicó, an affluent neighborhood north of Bogotá, Colombia, since June 3, and she was scheduled to check out on June 21, reported local outlets El Tiempo and El País. A cleaner discovered Villalba's body stuffed inside a suitcase, placed in an open shower, on June 22, the outlets reported.
Matthew Ashley Foster-Smith, a 46-year-old British man, was arrested on suspicion of aggravated femicide and tampering with evidence in connection with Villalba's death, Colombia's Attorney General's Office said in a statement posted to X on June 26.
Citing evidence collected by Colombia's Technical Investigation Corps, the attorney general's office's investigative body, authorities claim Foster-Smith allegedly entered the model's property while she was alone, physically assaulted her and placed her body into a suitcase.
The attorney general's office also alleges that Foster-Smith manipulated the crime scene in an attempt to conceal the killing before fleeing the location.
Carlos F. Galán, Bogotá's mayor, said in a statement on X that a task force including authorities in Colombia, Ecuador and the United Kingdom was involved in locating Foster-Smith. He was arrested at Quito International Airport in Ecuador on June 26, the statement added.
Credit: Getty
“In Bogotá, he who does the deed pays the price,” the mayor wrote in Spanish.
Hours before his arrest, Foster-Smith maintained his innocence in an interview with The Sun, telling the outlet, “It wasn't me; I was watching England” in an apparent reference to the England vs. Croatia World Cup game on June 17.
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“After the match, I went into the shopping center, I mooched about, bought an ice cream, and came back later for the later games,” he added to the outlet.
Per the BBC, Foster-Smith was previously put in jail for over two years for stalking offenses in 2023. After his release, he was issued a stalking prevention order in January, for which he was prohibited from contacting his victims and was required to keep in regular contact with police, notifying them of his addresses and vehicles, the outlet reported.
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