Family confirms body found in Costa Rica is missing woman
SAN JOSE, Costa Rica — The father of a Florida woman who went missing while celebrating her 36th birthday in Costa Rica has identified her body, found near the villa she rented.
A posting on the “Finding Carla ” Facebook page says Costa Rican authorities allowed the family to view her body, which was found Monday half-buried and covered in plastic near the AirBnB villa that Carla Stefaniak of Miami Beach had rented last month.
The Tampa Bay Times reports an autopsy found stab wounds on her arms and neck, and the cause of death was determined to be a blow to the head.
On Tuesday Costa Rican officials arrested 32-year-old Bismark Espinosa Martinez, a guard at the Villa Buena Vista resort near San Jose, Costa Rica. Investigators say blood was found in his nearby apartment.
