A 19 year old high school student from Wisconsin in Costa Rica on a study tour, was raped by at least seven men, in La Fortuna de San Carlos.
The young girl reported the early Sunday morning attack to the Fiscalía de Delitos Sexuales de San Carlos (Attorney Sex Crimes in San Carlos). The Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) in la Fortuna, say the transferred the girl to the Medical Forensics laboratory in Heredia, for a complete forensic medical examination.
According to the statement to police, the group arrived in Costa Rica last week, as part of a study plan of the natural flora and fauna of Costa Rica’s northern zone.
The young girl told police she had been partying with the rest of the group when at some point she headed back to the hotel, then returned after she realized she had left her purse behind. That is when she was attacked.
The girl told police that she was taken to an empty house, at the edge of the main road, some kilometres from the La Fortuna park and raped by at least seven in the yard. She said that some of her attackers appeared under the influence of drugs, while others watched her being raped.
There is a conflicting report that the attack took place in an empty field near the hotel.
The assailants fled the scene.
The U.S. Embassy in San José could not provide details of the case based on the U.S. Privacy Act. However, the Embassy, as in all such situations, provides assistance to victims.
“They are provided with information about the local judicial system, are helped to obtain information about their case and are given information about other resources and local criminal U.S. assistance.
“In cases of sexual assault, the victims are accompanied to help them file their complaint with the police, when there is a medical forensic exam, victims are provided with medical care,” says the Embassy.
Editor’s note: The La Nación report incorrectly states the girl’s age as 17.
