A British former doctor has been arrested in Ecuador in connection with the killing of Colombian model Natalia Villalba Angarita, whose body was found concealed inside a suitcase in a rented apartment in Bogotá.
Colombian authorities confirmed the arrest of 46-year-old Matthew Foster-Smith following the issuance of an Interpol Red Notice. He is expected to face extradition proceedings to Colombia, where prosecutors intend to charge him with aggravated femicide and concealment, alteration or destruction of evidence.
The body of 36-year-old Angarita, a model from Cúcuta in northern Colombia, was discovered by cleaners on June 22 after the rental period for her seventh-floor apartment in Bogotá’s Chapinero district expired. Investigators said the shower had been left running, and the victim’s remains were found inside a grey suitcase in the bathroom.
Before his arrest, Foster-Smith had denied any involvement in the killing, telling British media that he was watching England’s World Cup match against Croatia at an Irish bar on the night in question. “I was watching England versus Croatia on a big screen in an Irish bar, so it wasn’t me,” he said.
He added that after the match he went to a shopping centre, bought an ice cream, returned to the bar to watch another game and later went to bed alone. However, Colombian prosecutors said evidence gathered during the investigation suggests Foster-Smith entered the apartment while the victim was alone, assaulted her and later attempted to conceal the crime.
“Pursuant to an arrest warrant obtained by a prosecutor from the Bogotá Sectional Office, and following the issue of an Interpol Red Notice, Ecuador’s National Police apprehended a British citizen at Quito International Airport,” prosecutors said. “He is alleged to be responsible for the death of a 36-year-old woman on June 18 in an apartment located in the Chico neighbourhood of northern Bogota.
“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 Foster-Smith was located through a joint operation involving Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office, Migration Colombia, Interpol and Ecuadorian authorities. Local reports indicated investigators traced his phone activity as he allegedly attempted to purchase a ticket to Europe.
According to investigators, Angarita initially rented the apartment between June 3 and June 7 with a man from Texas before extending her stay until June 21. Foster-Smith reportedly entered the apartment on June 17 and left the following day. Security camera footage allegedly captured him carrying bedsheets to a laundry area before leaving the building. Investigators are examining CCTV footage, building access records and forensic evidence recovered from the apartment.
Angarita’s mother, Claudia, said she became concerned after her daughter stopped answering her calls on June 19. “My daughter had been living in Bogota for 17 years,” she said, adding that they spoke “all the time.” “All we want is for the truth to come out.” Her body has not yet been released to the family.
Foster-Smith has a previous criminal record in the United Kingdom. In 2020, he was jailed for 18 months after pleading guilty to stalking a former partner and sharing revenge p0rn0graphy.
Following his release, he was convicted again for stalking another woman in Dorset after repeatedly following her, loitering near her workplace and breaching a restraining order. In October 2024, Bournemouth Crown Court sentenced him to two years and two months in prison. At the time, Detective Constable Thomas Norman said the victim had “continued to live in fear” and that her life had been “destroyed” by Foster-Smith’s behaviour.
If extradited and convicted in Colombia, Foster-Smith could face an aggravated femicide conviction, an offence that carries a prison sentence of between 40 and 50 years. The case has drawn comparisons to the 2023 murder of Colombian DJ Valentina Trespalacios, whose body was also found inside a suitcase before her killer was later convicted and sentenced to more than 42 years in prison.
