A British man has been arrested in Ecuador after the body of a woman was found inside a suitcase in Colombia. Matthew Ashley Foster-Smith, 46, from Bournemouth, Dorset, was detained at Quito international airport in Ecuador's capital, local authorities confirmed.
Alleged murder in Bogotá
Foster-Smith is accused of causing the death of 36-year-old Natalia Villalba in an apartment in the Chicó neighbourhood of Bogotá on 18 June. According to a post on the official X account of Colombia's attorney general's office, Foster-Smith allegedly beat Villalba to death, placed her body in a suitcase, tried to conceal the crime, and fled the scene.
Suspect's claims of alibi
Before his arrest, Foster-Smith reportedly phoned the Sun newspaper and claimed he was watching an England World Cup match on television at the time of the incident. “I was watching England versus Croatia on a big screen in an Irish bar so it wasn’t me,” he told the newspaper. “After the match I went in to the shopping centre, I mooched about, bought an ice-cream, and came back later for the later games.” England's opening World Cup match took place in Dallas, Texas on 17 June.
Arrest and international cooperation
The Sun reported that Foster-Smith made a second call to the newspaper on Friday before his arrest, and a source said he was located via the phone calls he made. Dorset police are said to have assisted in locating him before he was held at Quito airport. An arrest warrant had been obtained by Colombian prosecutors and an Interpol red notice issued, local authorities said.
Carlos Fernando Galán, Bogotá's mayor, said Dorset police had assisted with the operation. “This painful case will not go unpunished,” he said.
UK government support
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.
