Bismarck Martinez Arrested As Carla Stefaniak's Body Identified In Costa Rica

A woman's body found near an Airbnb in Costa Rica Monday was confirmed to be that of the missing Florida woman Carla Stefanaik. Local authorities confirmed its identification on Tuesday. Stefanaik was missing since Nov. 27.

Authorities added that Stefaniak appeared to have been murdered as the autopsy showed she had suffered a blow to her head. Her remains were discovered in a wooded area near the Airbnb property Monday, where she was staying as she celebrated as her 36th birthday. Her body was partially buried and covered with plastic bags.

Initial reports suggested the woman had been murdered by the suspect, a Nicarguan security guard, who lived in a room adjoining Stefanaik's. The Costa Rican police said that although an autopsy of the body had been completed, they were still awaiting fingerprint results.

Bismarck Espinoza Martinez, 32, the prime suspect, was arrested Tuesday in relation to her murder, after investigators swept the property and found blood stains in her and Martinez’s rooms.

“The autopsy was completed today and we determined the body found initially, matches that of Carla Stefaniak,” said Walter Espinoza from the Costa Rica Office of Information, CBS Miami reported. “We still have to do a final verification. The individual was stabbed to death with injuries to her neck and upper torso.”

Stefaniak had traveled to Costa Rica on Thanksgiving with her family to celebrate her birthday. While her family returned to the U.S. after the weekend, she decided to stay back. The last time her family had heard from the victim was Nov. 27, when she wrote in a group chat on WhatsApp till her phone got switched off around 9 p.m. local time.

Also, the account of the events Martinez gave the authorities was considered “incompatible to reality” and did not match what was seen in the surveillance footage or the testimonies of other witnesses. Martinez had been in Costa Rica since June, Espinoza, said.

The owner of the Airbnb told Carlos Caicedo, Stefaniak's brother, a security guard saw his sister on the morning of her flight, getting into a car at 5 a.m. local time (6 a.m. EST). Caicedo said the information made him suspicious as his sister’s flight was scheduled at 1:30 p.m. local time and she was not known to arrive early for anything. It was not clear if the security guard in question was Martinez, CBS News reported.

She wrote that it was raining there and the lights were flickering on and off. “It’s pretty sketchy here,” she wrote in a text.

Meanwhile, Stefaniak’s family said that they were facing difficulty securing permission from the Costa Rican government to see her remains. Greg Zwolinski, a friend of the family, who was in Costa Rica trying to communicate with the authorities, said the family's requests had been rejected twice.

“The Costa Rican government it seems like, they’re stalling and moving very slow,” Zwolinski said. “The family wants some closure. The agonizing pain of waiting around for a phone call after being denied twice is absolutely unacceptable.”