Kurt Van Dyke’s Former Girlfriend Arrested in Connection With His Murder

Earlier this year, Kurt Van Dyke was found dead in his home in Costa Rica.

His body was discovered beneath his bed, with multiple stab wounds to his torso, a knife lying nearby and a sheet covering his head. He also showed signs of asphyxiation.

A member of a prominent Santa Cruz surfing family and a well-known figure in Costa Rica’s surf community, his brutal death came as a shock to those who knew him and those who had crossed paths with him.

“His 31-year-old girlfriend, Arroyo, was in the shower when two armed men entered the apartment. According to reports, she was zip-tied, assaulted, and forced at gunpoint into another room. The place was fleeced of valuables, and their car was also taken before the assailants fled,” Stab reported in February.

On Thursday, November 12, Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency arrested Arroyo and a 34-year-old man identified by the surname Gutiérrez, following a series of raids.

Three homes were searched in Pocora and Astúa Pirié, in the Guápiles area of Limón province, before the arrests.

Arroyo had initially told authorities that armed intruders had broken into the apartment she shared with Van Dyke. She is now suspected of helping facilitate the attack, according to local reports.

According to the police reconstruction, the suspects used violence in an attempt to obtain pin codes to Van Dyke’s bank cards. When he failed to provide the information, he was beaten and tortured.

Investigators also believe the suspects staged the theft of Arroyo’s car, which had been parked at the property. The vehicle was subsequently used and recovered in the Atlantic region without any visible damage.

The Judicial Investigation Agency says this detail further reinforces its suspicions about Arroyo’s alleged involvement in the homicide.

The latest developments mark a significant shift in the investigation, although the allegations against the two detainees have yet to be tested in court. Arroyo and Gutiérrez have been handed over to Costa Rica’s Public Ministry, which will determine their legal status.

Investigators are still trying to identify two additional men believed to have participated in the attack. Both remain at large.