British suspect Matthew Foster‑Smith arrested in Ecuador over Bogotá model's murder
On June 26, authorities at Quito International Airport in Ecuador detained British citizen Matthew Ashley Foster‑Smith, who is wanted by Colombian prosecutors for the killing of 36‑year‑old model Natalia Villalba in Bogotá. The arrest followed the activation of an Interpol Red Notice and a coordinated operation involving the Fiscalía General de la Nación, the Cuerpo Técnico de Investigación, Bogotá and Quito security secretariats, Migración Colombia, Interpol, and Dorset Police in the United Kingdom.
Villalba’s body was discovered on 22 June inside a grey suitcase in a short‑term rental apartment in the Chapinero district after she failed to check out. Surveillance footage captured the suspect entering the flat on 17 June, moving bedding, and leaving the following day. He now faces charges of aggravated femicide, concealment, and alteration or destruction of material evidence.
The suspect has prior convictions in the UK for stalking and related violence. Colombian authorities are preparing his extradition to Bogotá to stand trial for the murder.