A British former doctor was arrested at Quito International Airport in Ecuador for the murder of Colombian influencer Natalia Villalba. Authorities found the 36-year-old woman’s body hidden inside a suitcase in a Bogotá apartment on June 22, 2026.
Matthew Ashley Foster-Smith, 46, from Poole, Dorset, was taken into custody on June 26 while attempting to board a flight to London. Colombian prosecutors obtained an arrest warrant and Interpol issued a Red Notice that led to his capture at Quito’s Mariscal Sucre International Airport.
Timeline of Events
The tragic events unfolded on June 18 when Foster-Smith allegedly entered the apartment where Villalba was staying in Bogotá’s Chicó neighborhood. According to Colombian authorities, he physically attacked her until she died, then placed her body inside a grey suitcase.
Security cameras captured Foster-Smith entering the building and leaving the following day. The suspect carried bedsheets to a laundry area before fleeing the scene. He reportedly left the shower running over the suitcase to slow body decomposition and destroy evidence.
Foster-Smith escaped Colombia on June 21 through the Rumichaca International Bridge, a busy border crossing between Colombia and Ecuador. He then tried to get a flight to Europe from Quito.
The Discovery
A cleaning worker found Villalba’s remains in the bathroom of apartment 702 in the Morph Chico building on June 22. The victim had initially rented the apartment from June 3 to 7 with a man from Texas and extended her stay until June 21.
Villalba’s mother Claudia told reporters she became worried when her daughter stopped answering calls on June 19. “My daughter had been living in Bogotá for 17 years,” she said, adding they spoke “all the time.” “All we want is for the truth to come out”.
International Manhunt and Arrest
Bogotá Mayor Carlos Fernando Galán confirmed Foster-Smith’s capture through a joint operation involving Colombian prosecutors, the Technical Investigation Corps (CTI), Migration Colombia, Ecuadorian authorities, Interpol, and Dorset Police.
“An operation involving @fiscaliacol and the Bogotá Sectional CTI, @MigracionCol Regional Andina, @seguridadbog, @seguridadequito, Interpol of @PoliciaEcuador, and @dorsetpolice succeeded this week in locating Matthew Ashley Foster-Smith,” Galán posted on X.
The Ecuadorian Interior Minister John Reimberg confirmed Foster-Smith was trying to board a London-bound flight when authorities detained him.
Criminal History
Foster-Smith had previous convictions in the United Kingdom. In 2020, he received an 18-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to stalking a former partner and sharing private images without consent.
In October 2024, Bournemouth Crown Court sentenced him to two years and two months in prison for stalking another woman in Dorset. He repeatedly followed her, loitered near her workplace, and violated a restraining order.
Detective Constable Thomas Norman said the victim “continued to live in fear” and her life had been “destroyed” by Foster-Smith’s behavior.
Alibi Attempts
Before his arrest, Foster-Smith denied involvement in a conversation with British media. He claimed he was watching England’s World Cup match against Croatia at an Irish bar on the night of the murder.
“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 center, bought ice cream, returned to watch more games, and went to bed alone at about 11pm. Foster-Smith also claimed he left Colombia after receiving death threats from local gangsters.
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Legal Proceedings
Colombian authorities flew Foster-Smith to Bogotá on June 27, where CTI agents formally arrested him. A judge legally validated his capture on June 28.
Prosecutors plan to charge him with aggravated feminicide and concealment, alteration, or destruction of material evidence. These charges carry 40 to 50 years in prison in Colombia.
The case shares similarities with the 2023 murder of Colombian DJ Valentina Trespalacios, whose body was also discovered in a suitcase in Bogotá. American John Poulos received a 42-year sentence for that crime.
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