A British doctor previously jailed for stalking has been arrested in Ecuador after the body of a 36-year-old Colombian model was discovered stuffed inside a suitcase in a Bogotá apartment.
Matthew Ashley Foster-Smith, 46, from Bournemouth, Dorset, was held at Quito International Airport following an Interpol Red Notice. Colombian prosecutors allege he beat Natalia Villalba to death on 18 June in an apartment in the Chico neighbourhood of northern Bogotá, then placed her body in a suitcase and fled.
“British doctor Matthew Foster-Smith arrested in Ecuador after Colombian model Natalia Villalba found dead in suitcase”
Cleaning staff found the victim's remains when they entered the seventh-floor apartment after the rental period ended on 22 June. The shower was still running, and a grey suitcase was in the bathroom.
Hours before his arrest, Foster-Smith insisted he was innocent, using the World Cup as an alibi. He told The Sun: 'I was watching England versus Croatia on a big screen in an Irish bar, so it wasn't me.' He claimed he went for a 'mooch about' after the match, bought an ice cream, returned to the bar for another game, and went to bed alone at about 11pm local time.
Colombian prosecutors said evidence from the Technical Investigation Corps indicates Foster-Smith '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'.
Bogotá's mayor, Carlos Fernando Galan, said Dorset Police assisted with the operation to locate him. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said: 'We are supporting a British man who has been detained in Ecuador and are in touch with the local authorities.'
Foster-Smith has a history of stalking offences. He was jailed for two years and two months for stalking committed in 2023, and upon release faced indefinite restrictions under a stalking prevention order issued in January by Poole Magistrates' Court. He was required to keep in regular contact with police, notify them of his address and vehicle, and was prohibited from contacting his victims. Restrictions were also placed on his use of electronic communication devices. He was also banned from practising as a doctor in Britain.
Prosecutors named the arrested man and said his location was made possible 'thanks to the joint efforts of the Attorney General's Office, @MigracionCol, @SeguridadBOG, Interpol Colombia, and the authorities of Ecuador'. A well-placed source told Colombian press that Foster-Smith's phone calls were traced as he tried to buy a ticket to Europe.
Colombian authorities will seek his extradition to face charges of aggravated femicide and concealment, alteration, or destruction of material evidence.