New Details About Bismark Espinosa Martinez, The Man Arrested In Connection With Carla Stefaniak's Murder
His story doesn't add up.
Facebook A Costa Rican security guard was arrested after the body of a missing Florida woman was found on the Airbnb property she was staying at.
Bismarck Espinoza Martínez, a 32-year-old Nicaraguan native, was taken into custody around 11 p.m. Monday night, according to Costa Rica's Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ). A video released by Costa Rican authorities shows the exact moment Martinez was detained.
Stefaniak, 36, was on vacation in Costa Rica when she went missing on Nov. 27. Her half-naked body was found in a plastic bag, partially buried about 1,000 feet from the apartment complex the Airbnb was located at, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
Martinez, who worked as a security guard for the apartment complex where Stefaniak's Airbnb was located, was taken into custody when officials discovered his story did not match up with surveillance footage, WPLG reported.
"Someone was interviewed and said she left for the airport at 5 a.m. when the flight was much later," South Florida private investigator Wayne Black told the Florida news outlet. "There was something fishy about that to begin with."
RELATED: Sad New Details About Carla Stefaniak, The Florida Woman Who Went Missing On A Trip To Costa Rica
Investigation Department General Director Walter Espinoza said in a news conference that he could not reveal many details about the murder but that “the initial appearance is that it was sexually motivated," adding that investigators are still trying to determine an exact motive. Investigators found traces of fluid consistent with blood in the apartment Stefaniak was staying, where they believe she was killed, ABC News reported.
An autopsy revealed that Stefaniak's cause of death was blunt force trauma head, officials said. She also suffered multiple stab wounds and a broken neck.
"The person linked to this homicide was close to her and had the time and place to commit the crime," Espinoza said of Martinez, who was residing in the apartment next to Stefaniak's rented one.
Following his sister's disappearance, Carlos Caicedo flew down to Costa Rica to search for Stefaniak. He spoke to Martinez about her and even shook his hand, Caicedo told WPLG.
"We went to the villa. This guy shook our hands, looked us in the eye and told us his fake story," he said. "I can't believe it."
Friends and family knew something was wrong when Stefaniak, who was active on social media, failed to respond to messages and stopped posting online. When she missed her flight back to Florida, she was reported missing. Stefaniak's last message to her family was, "It's pretty sketchy here." The power had gone out and it was raining.
"How cold-hearted can you be?" Caicedo told WPLG. "And such a monster, because you have to be something else, man, to do something like this."
Her family is determined to get justice for Stefaniak and is working hard to ensure her case stayed open.
"Words cannot express the devastation within her family and friends," reads a post by a Facebook group called Finding Carla. "We want the world to know that we will never forget Carla. We will never forget the joy she brought into our lives, how much she made us laugh. We will always be with her and we know she will always be with us. May god bless her soul."
Sarah Gangraw writes about all things news, entertainment and crime. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter.