66-year-old Kurt Van Dyke from California was found murdered inside his apartment on the Caribbean coast after what authorities believed was a violent break-in and robbery on Saturday.
Police located in the Limon province responded to a report of an armed intrusion in the Cahuita/Talamanca area. This is when they came upon a grim discovery of an individual with multiple stab wounds and signs of asphyxiation.
{img}His remains were located under a bed, covered with a sheet. The woman with him survived and was rushed to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
No other suspects have been arrested yet as the investigation continues. Van Dyke was originally from Santa Cruz, California, which is part of a prominent surfing family. He lived in Costa Rica for decades, where he got so deeply rooted in the local surfing and tourism community.
{img}He also owned a hotel and was famous for his contributions to the surf culture in the region.
Loved ones and fellow surfers expressed a state of shock and sadness at his death.