GUILTY COSTA RICA - Carla Stefaniak, 36, American tourist, San Antonio de Escazú, 27 Nov 2018

[otto]

I'm trying hard to catch up and hope I'm not aggravating anyone with my questions.
I've worked and lived in Jamaica and Cancun and I'm very aware of the dangers that exist in these locations.
In Jamaica, my crew eventually had to have an armed guard to escort us to the power plant. In order to get to the power plant the trip involved traveling at least an hour and a half one way. The trip involved traveling through the Blue Mountains. Prior to having the armed guard, about every day we (the three car car caravan) was stopped by the "mountain men, who were Castro sympathizers. They would shove an Uzi in your face, search the cars down and make you empty your pockets and pocket books before they would let you go. I've had an Uzi shoved in my face more times than I can count. It is not a good feeling.
My crew stayed in Kingston and you really could not leave the hotel and go for a walk or go to a restaurant without being with a group. It was extremely dangerous. I'm not even going to discuss working in Cancun, that's another story for later.

I would like to hear more. She was in Costa Rica with her sister in law to celebrate her birthday on Nov 28. On Nov 27 she drove to the airport to drop off her sister and return the rental. She hired an Uber who drove her around site seeing and delivered her to the Airbnb at 4-5PM.

It seems that she pre-arranged for that Uber driver to pick her up at 8:30 the following morning. This driver showed up at 8:30AM, but was told that she had left 3 hours earlier.

Security and Airbnb owner told police that she left at 5 AM. Because of this, the family had difficulties convincing the Embassy and the FBI that she was missing. They took the position that because she got into a vehicle willingly and of sound mind, nothing happened bad happened to her and she left voluntarily.

The discovery of the body near the Airbnb places the statements from the security guard and the Airbnb owner in question.

 

[otto]

two bodies not found.

Yes, two. Different suspects. The ocean around Aruba must be forgiving.

 

[otto]

Thank you!

The reviews are concerning, but the photos of the area are beautiful in the daylight.

However, at night, raining, with a power outage it might feel like you’re in the middle of the rainforest.

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I'm sure that she was scared, and with the power outage her first thought was most likely about getting enough water to drink in case it lasted throughout the city for a couple of days - nothing worse than hours in an airport without water in a tropical storm without power.

 

[whitelilac]

I wonder if there wee other tourists staying at this place and if any heard or saw anything untoward, particularly if other people were staying in adjacent rooms. If blood was found in Carla's room, I expect there may have been a struggle. Or was this a single residence, though iirc the place had 7 rooms?

 

[Lexiintoronto]

Swear word! For some reason I searched, and Costa Rica is very unusual in having piped-in drinking water to homes. "It’s generally safe to drink tap water in Costa Rica, except in the most rural and undeveloped parts of the country. " Health in Costa Rica - Lonely Planet

Given that, if she went and asked the guard to bring her some bottled water, who knows how that would have been interpreted.

Or she left her room and bumped into him while he was making his rounds? If there was a power outage, he might be expected to take action of some sort.

Or, as @raz suggested lights going out in her room was a ruse, and it drew her out towards a lit area?

 

[crhedBngr]

I wonder if there wee other tourists staying at this place and if any heard or saw anything untoward, particularly if other people were staying in adjacent rooms. If blood was found in Carla's room, I expect there may have been a struggle. Or was this a single residence, though iirc the place had 7 rooms?

THIS^^^^

 

[Lexiintoronto]

I wonder if there wee other tourists staying at this place and if any heard or saw anything untoward, particularly if other people were staying in adjacent rooms. If blood was found in Carla's room, I expect there may have been a struggle. Or was this a single residence, though iirc the place had 7 rooms?

From the listing, it sounds like small villas?

The property is two and a half acres of tropical gardens with the vacation rentals scattered about walkways through the gardens.

 

[otto]

Dang, it has been a very short time for a body identification. An autopsy is usually to find cause of death. If ID isn't possible then DNA is sent off for testing. WTH

Hot humid weather in a rain forest probably means quick decomposition - lots of bugs and critters.

I'm guessing that this is about crossing t's and dotting i's, but a body was found at or near the Airbnb where she was staying. She reported something unusual around 8:20PM. Her phone went offline at 9PM.

The findings will most likely be announced in the morning. Given how bungled this has been, I can't see the coroner not working through the night to provide an answer.

 

[Eleanor Rigby]

Why would someone who went to the trouble to wrap a body in plastic bury it only half way? Very odd, unless it was dug up by a dog or other animal. There are likely stray dogs in the suburbs. I noticed quite a few in small towns and rural areas. IMO

 

[TTF14]

7 rooms doesn't mean 7 bedrooms. Could be Kitchen, living room, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, den.

 

[TTF14]

Why would someone who went to the trouble to wrap a body in plastic bury it only half way? Very odd, unless it was dug up by a dog or other animal. There are likely stray dogs in the suburbs. I noticed quite a few in small towns and rural areas. IMO

Sun was starting to come up?

 

[Satchie]

Why would someone who went to the trouble to wrap a body in plastic bury it only half way? Very odd, unless it was dug up by a dog or other animal. There are likely stray dogs in the suburbs. I noticed quite a few in small towns and rural areas. IMO

Digging a big hole is not so easy, in the woods there are dense tree roots, rocks, whatever. It often needs a crew of strong men, a backhoe, dynamite to get tree roots out. Plus this guy might have been both in a panic and lazy.

 

[otto]

I wonder if there wee other tourists staying at this place and if any heard or saw anything untoward, particularly if other people were staying in adjacent rooms. If blood was found in Carla's room, I expect there may have been a struggle. Or was this a single residence, though iirc the place had 7 rooms?

I'm not sure how many rooms there were, but after reading about the place and the tripadvisor reviews, I was left with the impression that there are 9 accommodations (formerly plastic surgery recovery rooms), and there are now 7 accommodations.

I kind of doubt that there were other guests, especially when she said that the place was "sketchy."

I've wondered about her comment to ask the security guard for water. I pictured the security guard at the entrance to the property, and wondered why she would feel safer walking to the entrance of the property rather than getting a water bottle from where ever it was kept in the building. I kind of picture the security guard closer to her room than the water bottles, which makes me wonder where she was, where he was, and who was watching the front entrance.

Blood was found in her room, but at this time there's no way of knowing whether that was a plastic surgery bleed in 2015 or an incident with Carla. Investigators are waiting for DNA results - no timeline.

 

[whitelilac]

Looking back at an earlier article :

She called a friend from the home to tell them she was going to ask the guards at the Airbnb to buy her a bottle of water. That is the last time friends and family spoke with her.

The owner of the Airbnb told family members she was seen getting into an Uber with luggage around 5 a.m. on Wednesday, but Stefaniak's Uber records don't list a transaction.

- GuardS. More than one there.
- Owner said she was SEEN getting in a 5 am vehicle. Owner therefore was presumably told by the guard(s). He didn't lie, he didn't "witness" Carla leaving at 5 am. He wasn't there.
So why would the guard lie....obviously she never left He lied because he harmed her. A guard or more than one guard.

 

[otto]

Or she left her room and bumped into him while he was making his rounds? If there was a power outage, he might be expected to take action of some sort.

Or, as @raz suggested lights going out in her room was a ruse, and it drew her out towards a lit area?

When there was a power outage, she said to her facetime friend at around 8:20PM that the place was "sketchy" and she would ask a security guard to help her get a bottle of water.

If someone who has read the entire thread has a different recollection please let me know. This is what I remember.

I too have wondered whether the power outage was only in her room. Perhaps that drew her out, and the security guard was close enough that she wanted to ask him for water rather than get it herself.

40 minutes later, her phone was dead

 

[ilovematt]

Or she left her room and bumped into him while he was making his rounds? If there was a power outage, he might be expected to take action of some sort.

Or, as @raz suggested lights going out in her room was a ruse, and it drew her out towards a lit area?

I would die to know if the power went off in the general area or just at her place, her floor or her room. :/ I mean its a Rain Forrest, storms ALL THE TIME in CR, rains once a day usually. Did the storm cause the outage or did someone throw a breaker? RIP beautiful girl, hope your modeling Fabulous clothes somewhere less burdened than here.

 

[whitelilac]

I wonder what the did with the luggage. Guard's home needs to be searched. Or he dumped them. Suitcases are bright and identifiable. They will be found I'd think. Since he gave a fake story about Carla leaving at 5 am, he sure had to get rid of them.....probably after the crime.

 

[TTF14]

She called a friend from the home to tell them she was going to ask the guards at the Airbnb to buy her a bottle of water. That is the last time friends and family spoke with her.

RSBM. She may have gotten justice for herself by simply providing this benign (at the time) detail that the guards were unaware of. To them, she just asked for water. They had no clue she told someone she was going to do that. Or that she had scheduled an 8:30 Uber.

 

[LietKynes]

We remember that one well, still no body.

Agreed.
Robyn Gardener ?

 

[ilovematt]

I wonder what the did with the luggage. Guard's home needs to be searched. Or he dumped them. Suitcases are bright and identifiable. They will be found I'd think. Since he gave a fake story about Carla leaving at 5 am, he sure had to get rid of them.....probably after the crime.

I hope they are tossing every house of every pal of this guard and driver. IMO there, and given how well she dressed the luggage would be currency as well.