Q COSTA RICA — Agents from the Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) arrested a 22-year-old woman surnamed Ortiz—popularly known as the “Bikini Killer”—this Tuesday; she is suspected of murdering an American man in Guanacaste.
The arrest took place in San Felipe de Alajuelita, San José.
The young woman is the primary suspect in the homicide of 72-year-old businessman Marc Fleming on September 27, 2026, in the victim’s condominium in Playas del Coco. The foreigner was found dead with head injuries. The investigation determined that he had likely been beaten to death with a blender jar.
Judicial agents had previously attempted to apprehend her during a raid in mid-October, but were unsuccessful; however, they were able to arrest another woman, identified as Roxana Zeledón Abarca, who allegedly helped Ortiz escape from Guanacaste to San José following the homicide.
Furthermore, she reportedly accompanied Ortiz to several commercial establishments to use the victim’s cards.
The case that reached the international press
The murder of the American man drew the attention of international media outlets, including Fox News, the New York Post, and the British newspaper the Daily Mail.
It was, in fact, the latter outlet that popularized the nickname “Bikini Killer”—a term referring to the attire worn by the primary suspect when she was captured on security camera footage.
Ortiz had been on the run since October 16, when authorities attempted to arrest her at her home in La Capri, Desamparados, as part of an operation.
This Tuesday, authorities carried out two additional operations: again in the La Capri area, at the home of one of Ortiz’s relatives, and a second in the San Felipe 1 residential development.
Ultimately, however, she was taken into custody while out in public.
For judicial authorities, this arrest is key, as Ortiz is considered the primary suspect in the homicide. She will now be turned over to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, which will determine the next steps in the judicial process, including the hearing on precautionary measures.