British man arrested in Ecuador after suitcase murder in Colombia

Matthew Ashley Foster-Smith, a 46-year-old British man from Bournemouth, Dorset, was arrested at Quito international airport in Ecuador after Colombian authorities found the body of 36-year-old Natalia Villalba inside a suitcase in a Bogotá apartment. Prosecutors allege he beat her to death on June 18 before fleeing the scene. The cross-border case has drawn international attention because of the brutal details, an Interpol manhunt, and a World Cup alibi the suspect reportedly offered to a British newspaper hours before his capture.

Key Takeaways

• Matthew Ashley Foster-Smith was detained at Quito international airport following an Interpol red notice.
• Prosecutors say Natalia Villalba was beaten to death and her body was placed in a suitcase in Bogotá's Chicó neighborhood.
• Colombian and British authorities, including Dorset police, coordinated the operation to locate him.
• The suspect reportedly called The Sun with a World Cup match alibi before his arrest.
• Bogotá's mayor vowed the case will not go unpunished.

Who is Matthew Ashley Foster-Smith?

Matthew Ashley Foster-Smith is a 46-year-old British national from Bournemouth in Dorset, according to The Guardian and the BBC. Colombian prosecutors have named him as the suspect in the killing of Natalia Villalba, a 36-year-old Colombian woman described by the New York Post as a popular influencer.

The New York Post reported that Foster-Smith had previously been convicted twice of stalking women in the United Kingdom. He had recently been released from prison after serving more than two years for stalking in Dorset, the outlet said, citing The Sun.

How was Natalia Villalba found in Bogotá?

Local authorities said Villalba was killed in an apartment in the Chicó neighborhood of northern Bogotá. The New York Post reported that she had been staying in a trendy part of the capital when she was killed on June 18.

Her body was discovered days later inside a suitcase, with the New York Post reporting that cleaning staff found her under a still-running shower after her rental reservation ended. Colombia's attorney general's office said on social media that Foster-Smith was accused of beating Villalba to death, placing her body in a suitcase, attempting to conceal what happened, and fleeing the scene.

Villalba's mother told the New York Post she last heard from her daughter on June 18. The outlet also reported that CCTV footage showed Foster-Smith in the same building carrying bedsheets to a laundry room around the same time.

What is Foster-Smith accused of doing?

Prosecutors in Colombia obtained an arrest warrant and issued an Interpol red notice before Foster-Smith was apprehended. The attorney general's office said he was suspected of beating Villalba to death before placing her body in a suitcase, attempting to conceal what happened, and fleeing the scene.

It joins other grim cases covered in our Bizarre News & Florida Man section.

How was he caught in Ecuador?

Foster-Smith was held at Quito international airport in Ecuador's capital, authorities said. The New York Post reported he had crossed Colombia's southern border into Ecuador and was preparing to fly back to the United Kingdom when police arrested him.

Bogotá mayor Carlos Fernando Galán said Dorset police assisted with the operation to locate Foster-Smith. "This painful case will not go unpunished," Galán said, according to The Guardian.

Before his arrest, Foster-Smith reportedly phoned The Sun and claimed he was watching England versus Croatia on a big screen in an Irish bar during the World Cup. "I was watching England versus Croatia on a big screen in an Irish bar so it wasn't me," he told the newspaper, adding that he later visited a shopping centre and bought an ice cream.

The Guardian noted that England's opening World Cup match took place in Dallas, Texas, on June 17. The Sun reported that Foster-Smith made a second call to the newspaper on Friday before his arrest, and that he was located via the phone calls he had made.

A spokesperson for the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said: "We are supporting a British man who has been detained in Ecuador and are in touch with the local authorities." Dorset police were approached for comment on Sunday.