Colombian model and influencer Natalia Villalba was found dead in a short-term rental in El Chicó, Bogotá, with her body allegedly shoved into a suitcase inside a shower. Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office says a British citizen, Matthew Ashley Foster-Smith,
A maid sent to clean a short-term rental in El Chicó, just outside Bogotá, walked into a discovery that would be impossible to forget: Natalia Villalba, a Colombian model and influencer, was found dead, allegedly shoved into a suitcase and placed inside a shower.
Villalba had checked into the apartment on June 3 and was reportedly expected to check out on June 21. When she never left, the cleaning request was sent on June 22—and the tragedy was found instead.
With so little confirmed publicly about what officially happened, one thing has moved fast: an arrest.
Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office. Fiscalía Colombia. announced on X (Twitter) that a British citizen named Matthew Ashley Foster-Smith had been arrested on suspicion of aggravated femicide and concealment. alteration. or destruction of material probative elements in connection with Villalba’s death.
In a translated post. Fiscalía Colombia said the Technical Investigation Corps (CTI) found that Matthew “allegedly entered the property where the victim was alone. physically assaulted her until causing her death. and manipulated the body to place it inside a suitcase.” The same post added that he then carried out “various maneuvers aimed at concealing what happened. altering the crime scene. and fleeing the location.”.
The timeline of how authorities closed in is now part of the record. Mayor Carlos F. Galán said in a separate post that a task force bringing together authorities from Colombia. Ecuador. and the United Kingdom tracked Matthew down to the Quito International Airport in Ecuador. where he was arrested on Friday. Galán wrote: “In Bogotá, he who does the deed pays the price.”.
Matthew, however, denied involvement. In an interview with The US Sun just hours before his arrest. he claimed he was watching the World Cup when Villalba’s death occurred. saying: “It wasn’t me; I was watching England … After the match. I went into the shopping center. I mooched about. bought an ice cream. and came back later for the later games.”.
The BBC has since reported that Matthew was allegedly previously jailed in 2023 for over two years on stalking offenses.
As the case continues. the basic facts already laid out by investigators leave little ambiguity about the course of events: Villalba did not check out on June 21. a maid discovered her dead on June 22. and investigators allege that after an assault. her body was manipulated into a suitcase and the scene was altered.
Now. with Matthew Ashley Foster-Smith arrested and his capture traced to Quito International Airport after international coordination. Villalba’s family and loved ones are left waiting for the fuller picture—while Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office and the CTI continue building their case around the allegations.
Natalia Villalba Colombian influencer El Chicó Bogotá aggravated femicide Matthew Ashley Foster-Smith Fiscalía Colombia CTI Quito International Airport Matthew Foster-Smith arrest
Shoved into a suitcase?? That’s insane.
Wait so it was a British citizen AND a maid called it in? I don’t get how they can know all that already. Seems like too much certainty too fast.
Man the article says the guy was assaulted her then put her in the shower like… so the suitcase was in the shower?? That sounds like something from a movie. Also “concealment” but they caught him at an airport so quick, makes me think more people involved.
This is why I don’t trust short-term rentals. Like the cleaners always go in and see stuff, but then somehow it’s all “allegedly” still. If her check-out was June 21 and the cleaning request was June 22, she could’ve been there that whole time?? That’s just sad and scary, and I’m side-eyeing the timeline tbh.