GUILTY COSTA RICA - Carla Stefaniak, 36, American tourist, San Antonio de Escazú, 27 Nov 2018

Oh my, just reading the Trip Advisor reviews are sketchy enough! Why did she book a room here alone?!?

Well, expounding on my comments above, some folks had checked in solo for surgery. Let me post one from 2012:

Best of the best recovery facility - Review of Villa Le Mas, Escazu, Costa Rica - TripAdvisor

There are other reviews discussing surgery recovery in the 2012 - 2015 timeframe as well.

Carla had described herself as a model; she may have done some photo shoots and wanted to "tweak" some so-called imperfection of her body.

Again, just my thoughts and opinions.
 
Villa Le Mas. Some of us were concerned about the more negative, recently-posted reviews of this place.

VILLA LE MAS - Updated 2018 Prices & Reviews (Costa Rica/Escazu) - TripAdvisor
Oh my, just reading the Trip Advisor reviews are sketchy enough! Why did she book a room here alone?!?
Tripadvisor is distrusted by many travellers, including me. Airbnb reviews are guaranteed to be by the actual person who stayed there, and not a disgruntled neighbour or someone like that.

She booked through Airbnb. Someone said the listing had been removed. However, not necessarily, Airbnb isn't intended to be search by name, because it isn't based on hotels. I'd have to spend time looking at listings for Escazu, but I can't take the time.
 
Well, expounding on my comments above, some folks had checked in solo for surgery. Let me post one from 2012:

Best of the best recovery facility - Review of Villa Le Mas, Escazu, Costa Rica - TripAdvisor

There are other reviews discussing surgery recovery in the 2012 - 2015 timeframe as well.

Carla had described herself as a model; she may have done some photo shoots and wanted to "tweak" some so-called imperfection of her body.

Again, just my thoughts and opinions.

I just saw on Trip Advisor that it is formerly the Villa Le Mas Aftercare Facility.

I don't think it's currently being used as an aftercare facility.

View from Villa Palma Real - Picture of Villa Le Mas, Escazu - TripAdvisor
 
Reminds of of Jesse Galganov in Peru, though different circumstances. He has yet to be found :(
Everything indicates he had a hiking mishap, doing a demanding solo hike. There was some initial confusion that he might have stayed at a hostel, they denied he had ever been there. Then information emerged that they were telling the truth, he'd stayed one night somewhere else.
 
I too was wondering if she had planned something secret and special for her birthday but then, as you say, she checked in for her flight.

Or could it have been something that would not take much time, something you can do at 5am? Unlikely, I know.
Possible if she still had no power and cell phone not charged, Uber couldn't contact her to change time of pickup?
Possible she went to ask guard for water and he realized she was alone in the dark?
Possible she was delivered a note (from guard) that Uber would come earlier so she could either go to airport or somewhere for breakfast since there was no power?
If a kidnapping scenario for real, then this could have been the set-up. jmo
 
Last edited:
I can't find Villa le Mas on AirBnB. Did the owner take their listing down?
I just saw on Trip Advisor that it is formerly the Villa Le Mas Aftercare Facility.

I don't think it's currently being used as an aftercare facility.

View from Villa Palma Real - Picture of Villa Le Mas, Escazu - TripAdvisor

Relinking the Heavy article on Carla. This article gives a bit more information about Villa Le Mas:

It’s reported she stayed at Villa Buena Vista, Calle Hoja Blanca, San Antonio de Escazú in San Jose, Costa Rica. Airbnb says the listing is “no longer available.” There are many images of the location easily found online however. It appears that the resort of villas was once an “aftercare facility.” It was previously called Villa Le Mas. It was poorly reviewed on TripAdvisor several years ago. The now-deleted Airbnb listing has the host as a man named Raymond.

Carla Stefaniak: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know | Heavy.com
 
Also following. If the Uber driver she has previously used came to pick her up at 8 am, I'm wondering why she didn't call to cancel the ride if she made other plans to leave with another car at 5:30 am.
MOO is her itinerary was to be picked up at 8. MOO is she never left at 5am. She was abducted the 27th.
 
rsbm

Someone said up-thread that the negative reviews had quickly been removed.

There were four complaints, three seemed like they were from the same person and the owner replied stating that the person had not stayed there, the fourth was something that seemed to be about double dipping on trip cancellation insurance. I don't take the reviews seriously.
 
I'm still a couple of pages behind, but guys Uber is not a taxi company, you don't just call them and they come pick you up! It's all application based, you need to use the App on your phone to request service, you can't "Have someone just call and reschedule your time". I keep seeing this over and over, if her phone was not working, there is NO WAY unless she used her Uber information on someone else's phone that she could have called an Uber. However, there is a chance as someone said before that the Uber driver gave her his personal business card and that's how it was working. But from the requesting of the driver to the drop off it's all on the App.... Same general thing with AirBnB this isn't a hotel this is all APP based.
 
MOO is her itinerary was to be picked up at 8. MOO is she never left at 5am. She was abducted the 27th.

If she was abducted, then wouldn't there be witnesses to her being dragged to and forced into a vehicle with her luggage? If she alone went to the vehicle and willingly, and of sound mind, got into the vehicle, then I don't think she was abducted at the Airbnb.

I'd like to know more about whether her father could obtain a visa to leave Venezuela under normal circumstances.
 
Possible if she still hand no power and cell phone not charged, Uber couldn't contact her to change time of pickup?
Possible she went to ask guard for water and he realized she was alone in the dark?
Possible she was delivered a note (from guard) that Uber would come earlier so she could either go to airport or somewhere for breakfast since there was no power?
If a kidnapping scenario for real, then this could have been the set-up. jmo

This is such an important point zecats. If her phone battery needed charging (battery at 0%), Carla could not have changed her Uber ride reservation. Also, Uber could not have contacted her with any change in the time.

About the flight check-in: with American, Delta, and United Airlines, you can check-in up to 24 hours ahead of the flight time.
 
It appears the sight seeing Uber drive was to pass the time until she could check into the new air bnb.
The previous rental may have only been through the day before but that doesn’t explain her return date being one day later.
I swear, when I travel, all my logistics make sense lol, I’m these cases, they never do!
 
Possible if she still hand no power and cell phone not charged, Uber couldn't contact her to change time of pickup?
Possible she went to ask guard for water and he realized she was alone in the dark?
Possible she was delivered a note (from guard) that Uber would come earlier so she could either go to airport or somewhere for breakfast since there was no power?
If a kidnapping scenario for real, then this could have been the set-up. jmo
Uber would send her an email. That would be proof.
 
I'm still a couple of pages behind, but guys Uber is not a taxi company, you don't just call them and they come pick you up! It's all application based, you need to use the App on your phone to request service, you can't "Have someone just call and reschedule your time". I keep seeing this over and over, if her phone was not working, there is NO WAY unless she used her Uber information on someone else's phone that she could have called an Uber. However, there is a chance as someone said before that the Uber driver gave her his personal business card and that's how it was working. But from the requesting of the driver to the drop off it's all on the App.... Same general thing with AirBnB this isn't a hotel this is all APP based.

Maybe she made verbal plans with the Uber driver the day before to come back at 8:00am the next day to pick her up.

On the 27th, she dropped off her sister-in-law at the airport and they also returned their rental car. Carla then had an Uber pick her up at the airport, drive her around to sight see and shop until 5:00pm when he dropped her off at this Villa. I am assuming at that time, she negotiated another pick-up, this time at 8:00am the next day to take her to the airport.

That's when the guards and the AirBnB owner said she left in another vehicle at 5:00 a.m.
 
It appears the sight seeing Uber drive was to pass the time until she could check into the new air bnb.
The previous rental may have only been through the day before but that doesn’t explain her return date being one day later.
I swear, when I travel, all my logistics make sense lol, I’m these cases, they never do!

When I was young my logistics never made sense to anyone but me, because they were always based on $$$$. maybe she got a much better flight option for Costa Rica to Miami on Wednesday and it was cheaper to stay even with the new AirBnB than to leave on Tuesday?
 
She made plans with the Uber driver the day before to come back at 8:00am the next day to pick her up.

On the 27th, she dropped off her sister-in-law at the airport and they also returned their rental car. Carla then had an Uber pick her up at the airport, drive her around to sight see and shop until 5:00pm when he dropped her off at this Villa. I am assuming at that time, she negotiated another pick-up, this time at 8:00am the next day to take her to the airport.

That's when the guards and the AirBnB owner said she left in another vehicle at 5:00 a.m.


Exactly,only one of those count as an Uber pick up. Uber would only have a record of the sister going to the airport and the tour.... So everything else is not Uber. It's private, albeit they may work for Uber, it's not being tracked by Uber.
 

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
173
Guests online
2,228
Total visitors
2,401

Forum statistics

Threads
589,946
Messages
17,928,043
Members
228,010
Latest member
idrainuk
Back
Top