Nepal earthquake
Dahlia Yehia, an American woman who travelled to Nepal to help earthquake victims, was allegedly hammered to death by a teacher in Nepal’s western town of Pokhara in August. In this photo, dated July 14, 2015, a man stands near collapsed houses that were damaged during the earthquake in Bhaktapur, Nepal. Reuters/Navesh Chitrakar

Police in Nepal are searching for the body of an American woman who traveled to the country to help earthquake victims earlier this year. Authorities said that Dahlia Yehia was beaten to death by a local man.

Yehia, a native of Austin, Texas, traveled to Pokhara in western Nepal on Aug. 4 to help earthquake victims, the Associated Press (AP) reported. She was reported missing three days later.

Last Wednesday, police arrested 30-year-old local teacher Narayan Paudel, who was hosting Yehia, according to AP. Hari Bahadur Pal, a police official, reportedly said that Paudel admitted to the crime saying he hammered Yehia to death and threw her body in the local Seti River. Pal added that police found blood-soaked clothes and ropes they believed were used to tie Yehia's body.

Yehia met Paudel via couchsurfing.com, a website that connects local hosts with travelers, Voice of America reported.

While the motive for the murder was unclear, police believe that Yehia was killed for money, Pal reportedly said. He added that officials were looking to get the maximum sentence of life imprisonment for Paudel. However, for that, police need to fine Yehia's body.

Aid groups and individuals across the world offered help in the aftermath of April's earthquake that killed about 9,000 people and devastated thousands of houses in Nepal.

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