Brit arrested after model's body found in suitcase

A British doctor wanted in connection with the murder of a Colombian model whose body was found inside a suitcase has been arrested in Ecuador. Matthew Foster-Smith, 46, from Dorset, was detained at Quito International Airport on Wednesday after Colombian authorities secured an arrest warrant and an Interpol Red Notice.

Colombian prosecutors allege Foster-Smith entered the apartment where Natalia Villalba was staying, fatally assaulted her and then concealed her body inside a suitcase before fleeing the country. In a statement released overnight, the Colombian Attorney General’s Office said: “Pursuant to an arrest warrant obtained by a prosecutor from the Bogota Sectional Office, and following the issue of an Interpol Red Notice, Ecuador’s National Police apprehended a British citizen at Quito International Airport.”

Prosecutors added: “Evidence obtained by the Technical Investigation Corps (CTI) indicates that he allegedly entered the apartment where the victim was alone, physically assaulted her until she died, and manipulated the body to place it inside a suitcase.

“He then carried out various actions aimed at concealing what had happened, altering the crime scene, and fleeing the location.”

Authorities said they will now seek to extradite Foster-Smith to Colombia, where he is expected to face charges of aggravated femicide and concealment, alteration or destruction of material evidence.

Natalia Villalba’s body was reportedly discovered by a cleaner inside a suitcase beneath a running shower in the bathroom of a seventh-floor apartment in the Morph Chico building in Bogotá.

Investigators say she initially checked into the apartment between June 3 and June 7 with a man from Texas before extending her stay until June 21.

Her mother, Claudia, has said she became concerned after Natalia stopped answering her calls last Thursday.

Before his arrest, Foster-Smith denied any involvement in the killing after leaving Colombia for neighbouring Ecuador.

Speaking to The Sun, he claimed: “It wasn’t me. I was watching England.”

He later said he had been watching England’s match against Croatia on a large screen in an Irish bar before spending time in a shopping centre and returning to his accommodation alone.

“I didn’t leave with anyone and went to bed myself at about 11pm local time,” he said.

Foster-Smith also claimed he had decided to leave Colombia after receiving death threats from local gangsters and was planning to return to the UK.

According to Colombian officials, he crossed into Ecuador via the Rumichaca International Bridge before being tracked to Quito International Airport.

Bogotá Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán confirmed the arrest on social media, praising the joint operation involving Colombian prosecutors, migration officials, Ecuadorian police, Interpol and Dorset Police.

He wrote: “The man believed to be responsible for the murder of Natalia Villalba has been captured in Ecuador.”

“The task force succeeded this week in locating Matthew Ashley Foster-Smith, who is believed to be responsible for the murder of Natalia Villalba on June 18.”

The Colombian Attorney General’s Office said it is now taking the necessary legal steps to have Foster-Smith transferred to Colombia to stand trial.

As reported by the BBC, a Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office spokesperson said: “We are supporting a British man who has been detained in Ecuador and are in touch with the local authorities.”