A British man has been arrested in Ecuador in connection with the murder of a popular Colombian influencer, Natalia Villalba, 36. Matthew Ashley Foster-Smith, 46, was taken into custody Saturday on allegations of fatally beating Villalba and stuffing her body into a suitcase.
Villalba was killed on June 18 in her Bogota apartment. Cleaning staff discovered her body three days later, on June 21, inside a suitcase placed under a still-running shower, according to reports. CCTV footage reportedly showed Foster-Smith moving bedsheets to a laundry room around the time of the murder.
Foster-Smith, who has prior convictions for stalking in the United Kingdom, allegedly fled Colombia for Ecuador shortly after the crime. While in Ecuador, he reportedly contacted a news outlet, The Sun, claiming he had an alibi for the time of the murder, stating he was watching a World Cup match on a large screen in an Irish bar. He also told the outlet he had received death threats related to a debt and was preparing to fly back to the UK.
Interpol had issued a red notice for Foster-Smith prior to his arrest at the airport in Quito. Colombian prosecutors allege that Foster-Smith murdered Villalba, attempted to conceal evidence, and fled the scene. Bogota Mayor Carlso Fernando Galan stated that the arrest was a collaborative effort between Colombian and British police, vowing that justice would be served for Villalba.
This is not Foster-Smith's first encounter with the law for stalking. He was released from prison earlier this year after serving over two years for stalking offenses in Dorset, England. In 2020, he served an 18-month sentence for stalking an ex-lover and posting revenge porn online.