Costa Rica Police Say Motive Behind Murder Of Missing Florida Woman Was ‘Sexual’

Costa Rica police have given a horrific update on the case of the vanished Florida woman who was killed during her 36th birthday trip.

Walter Espinoza, the director of the country's Judicial Investigation Department said in a press conference this Wednesday that investigators believe the motive behind the murder of Carla Stefaniak was “sexual.”

As RadarOnline.com readers know, Stefaniak’s half-naked body was found buried outside of the property, covered in plastic. Though it took some time for authorities to identify it due to its extreme decay, the woman’s heartbroken father confirmed it was her this Tuesday.

Security guard Bismark Espinosa Martinez, 32, was arrested this Tuesday in connection to her death. Officials said he became a suspect early on in the investigation because he was staying next door to Stefaniak’s Airbnb — which she described as "sketchy" — and gave conflicting stories about her whereabouts following her disappearance.

The Tampa resident stopped responding to friends’ messages after around 8:00p.m. on November 27, one day before her birthday. In her last text, she told a pal that she was going to ask the guard (Martinez) to go get her a bottle of water, because it was raining, and the power was going out, so she did not want to leave.