Things got a lot darker as Carla’s family continued to look for her. No one could piece together exactly what happened to her, but one thing that’s certain is Carla did not get into a car at 5 a.m. the morning of her birthday.
When Carla’s brother entered her Airbnb, he found all of her possessions. This is when authorities began to get involved.
“US Embassy in Costa Rica and FBI is already alerted,” April took to Facebook to announce details about the ongoing investigation into Carla’s disappearance.
Instagram; pictured above Carla smiles as she sits on a swing alongside a beachside bar
In the coming days, the grounds surrounding the Airbnb would be searched. It was there, only 200 yards away from the Airbnb Carla was staying in, that cadaver dogs discovered a body.
Instagram; pictured above Carla poses on the beach in a bikini and a lace top
“The body was in a state of decomposition but the preliminary observation does verify the body is a woman,” Walter Espinoza, the director general of the Judicial Investigation Agency, said in a statement.
Instagram; pictured above Carla lounges poolside in a white bikini and sunglasses while she snaps a selfie
The body was so badly decomposed it was not immediately evident that it was Carla. Her body was partially-buried and covered in plastic bags. Carla’s family went to the morgue, where they waited all day for any updates.
They were not allowed to see the body or even try to identify Carla. Once authorities performed an autopsy, they discovered that the death had been extremely violent.
Instagram; pictured above Carla poses at a table while she’s traveling
The autopsy showed multiple stab wounds to the neck and upper extremities. However, the cause of death was ruled as blunt force trauma to the head. “Words cannot express the devastation within her family and friends. We want the world to know that we will never forget Carla,” Carla’s family said in a statement posted on a Facebook page dedicated to finding her.
Instagram; pictured above Carla poses in a bikini and sunglasses on a lawn
“We will never forget the joy she brought into our lives, how much she made us laugh. We will always be with her and we know she will always be with us. May God bless her soul. Are we done here? We are not. In the following days, we will release critical digital leads of the investigation, continue asking questions about the involvement of others in Carla’s murder. We will make sure this case is not closed like many others in Costa Rica.”
Inside of the Airbnb, authorities found blood which was matched to Carla. Authorities were on the hunt for the suspect and began to grow suspicious of the guard, Bismarck Espinosa Martinez. His statements were not matching up.
He was arrested in connection with Carla’s death. Currently, he is being held on a preventive sentence and will spend several months in prison. The more time that goes on, the more authorities are able to uncover about Carla’s murder. As of now, they have reason to believe that this gruesome murder was not just the work of Bismarck Espinosa Martinez.
They believe that there are multiple people involved in the killing. In fact, they believe that this killing was organized ahead of time. Authorities are now saying that the motive behind the killing – was sexual.
Instagram; pictured above Carla snaps a selfie in an orange bikini top with matching nail polish
More details have emerged about when Carla’s body was found. She was partially nude. It’s also come to light that she suffered multiple cuts on her neck. Walter Espinoza also shared in a statement that authorities discovered blood and “other forensic evidence” on the floor of the Airbnb where Carla stayed.
Instagram; pictured above Carla lounges in the water at the beach
