Family Of South Florida Woman Killed In Costa Rica Is Suing Airbnb
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - The family of a South Florida woman killed in Costa Rica is suing Airbnb and the resort where she was vacationing when she died.
Carla Stefaniak's family filed the lawsuit Thursday in Hillsborough County. The lawsuit claims the Villa le Mas resort and Airbnb failed to conduct a background check on a Nicaraguan security guard, in Costa Rica illegally, who is accused of killing her.
Stefaniak went missing late last month while celebrating her 36th birthday in Costa Rica.
The guard, 32-year-old Bismark Espinoza Martinez, reportedly killed Stefaniak on November 28th after she returned alone to the apartment she rented through Airbnb. Her body was found covered with plastic bags in a wooded area near the Airbnb villa where she was staying.
Airbnb has removed Villa le Mas from its rental properties website. Villa Le Mas' attorney has said the resort's owners are cooperating with investigators.
The lawsuit says both companies also failed to alert customers to U.S. State Department warnings about violent crime in Costa Rica.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)