Airbnb says it has removed the vacation rental listing in Costa Rica where a woman was staying when she was slain.
Carla Stefaniak of Florida spent the night at the Villa le Mas, near San Jose, on November 27. Her family reported her missing when she didn’t return home.
According to its listing on TripAdvisor, the Villa le Mas is a compound with seven vacation apartments.
Villa Le Mas’s attorney, Federico Jenkins, said the owners are cooperating with the authorities in the investigation.
Airbnb says it has removed the Villa le Mas vacation rental from its listings in Costa Rica after Carla Stefaniak (pictured) of Florida was killed there while celebrating her 36th birthday
Bismark Espinosa Martinez, a security guard at the villa where Stefaniak was staying, was arrested on Tuesday in connection with the Miami woman’s death
Stefaniak went missing while celebrating her 36th birthday in San Jose, Costa Rica with her sister-in-law April Burton.
Her body was found on Monday half-buried in plastic at the back of the rental property after she vanished last Tuesday.
A posting on the ‘Finding Carla’ Facebook page set up by her family said Costa Rican authorities had finally allowed her father to view her body.
Stefaniak’s tearful dad Carlos confirmed late Tuesday that the body found was that of his daughter.
‘Words cannot express the devastation within her family and friends. We want the world to know that we will never forget Carla,’ the tribute post read.
‘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.’
Stefaniak’s father Carlos (above with family friend Greg Zwolinsky) confirmed late Tuesday that the body was that of his daughter. He cried when discussing her killing on GMA alongside family friend Greg Zwolinksy
Investigators said blood was found in the AirBnb where Stefaniak had been staying when she vanished last week. Photo courtesy of GMA
Authorities said Martinez had been staying next door to Stefaniak. Pictured above is the AirBnb rental where she was staying. She sent her sister-in-law a text message describing it as ‘pretty sketchy’
An autopsy found stab wounds on her arms and neck, while the cause of death was determined to be a blow to the head.
Investigators found blood inside the Airbnb where she was staying.
Security guard Bismark Espinosa Martinez, 32, was arrested on Tuesday in connection with the Miami woman’s death.
Blood is also believed to have been found in his nearby apartment.
Authorities said Martinez had been staying next door to Stefaniak. Police said he gave contradictory statements during questioning.
Her family have been on the ground in Costa Rica since she vanished and have been helping local authorities
Martinez told Stefaniak’s family that he saw her leaving the Airbnb with her luggage at about 5am on November 28 and getting into an unknown car.
Her family said it didn’t make sense because her flight wasn’t until the afternoon and the airport was only 30 minutes away from where she was staying.
Walter Espinoza, head of the country’s Judicial Investigation Department, said officials had analyzed surveillance video from the apartment complex.
Espinoza said the images in the video also did not align with statements made by the security guard.
Stefaniak (right) had been on vacation in Costa Rica with her sister-in-law April Burton (left) to celebrate her 36th birthday. They are pictured together last week
Stefaniak was scheduled to fly home alone on Wednesday – a day after her sister-in-law Burton left Costa Rica.
She had dropped Burton at the airport and returned their rental car before taking a 30-minute Uber to an Airbnb that she had checked in to for her final night.
Stefaniak sent her sister-in-law a text message describing it as ‘pretty sketchy’. She said it was raining and the power was going out.
She then had a FaceTime call with a friend and mentioned that she might ask a security guard at the Airbnb to buy her water because of the storm.
She had checked into her 1pm flight but never made it to the airport. Stefaniak also failed to respond to a number of birthday messages from family and friends.
A friend described Stefaniak as a ‘happy soul’ who made everyone laugh and had a large social media presence.
Bugra Demirel of Tallahassee, said in a telephone interview that Stefaniak, who was an insurance agent, loved to travel and post photos on Instagram.
Her last Instagram photo was on November 25. It featured her in a turquoise bathing suit, lying near a pool with tropical plants in the background. She wrote: ‘I’m going to miss the place.’
Stefaniak was last seen online around 9pm the night before her flight, she is pictured (right) at the airport heading to Costa Rica and (left) enjoying her vacation days before her disappearance
Stefaniak had dropped Burton at the airport and returned their rental car before taking a 30-minute Uber to an AirBnb that she had checked in to for her final night