A well-known surfer from California tragically lost his life in what appears to be a home invasion in Costa Rica over the weekend, as reported by various news outlets.
Kurt Van Dyke, aged 66, had made a new life for himself in Costa Rica, where he owned a hotel in the town of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca. Authorities discovered his lifeless body in his apartment on Saturday, according to the Tico Times.
Initial examinations revealed that Van Dyke had suffered asphyxiation and multiple stab injuries, the publication noted.
Originally hailing from Santa Cruz, California, Van Dyke was reportedly inside his apartment on Saturday morning when two armed intruders barged in, as detailed by the San Francisco Chronicle. The assailants forced Van Dyke and his 31-year-old girlfriend into a room, holding them captive.
Kurt Van Dyke, 66, was reportedly murdered at his home in Costa Rica over the weekend. (Facebook/ Kurt Van Dyke)
The girlfriend, who survived the terrifying experience, recounted to officials that the attackers restrained her with zip ties and physically assaulted her, according to the report. She mentioned that during the course of the attack, Van Dyke was killed.
The girlfriend also said the men stole some of the couple’s valuables, including a 2013 Hyundai Elantra.
Van Dyke was a prominent surfer in his native Santa Cruz, California, and in the surfing community in Costa Rica. (Facebook/ Kurt Van Dyke)
Security footage from the scene showed the two suspects fleeing the property in the Elantra and a second vehicle, the report said.
No arrests have been made, and officials have yet to announce a motive.
Van Dyke’s brother, Peter Van Dyke, remembered his brother as a kind soul in a text message to the Chronicle.
“My brother was a very benevolent, giving person who would help just about anybody,” Peter Van Dyke said. “Kurt would never hurt anybody, and he was always there when you needed him. Everyone that he met knew this about him.”
A tree is pictured on Punta Uva beach in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Costa Rica. (DEA / V. Giannella)
Officials in Costa Rica said that Van Dyke’s death shocked the community.
“I am deeply saddened,” Roger Sams, president of Costa Rica’s Southern Caribbean Chamber of Tourism and Commerce, told Costa Rican newspaper La Nación in Spanish. “We’ve had a long period of calm and tranquility.… This shocks and saddens us because the Caribbean has been so peaceful.”
Van Dyke had developed a notable reputation among Santa Cruz’s surfing community before permanently settling in Costa Rica, where his skill surfing big waves earned him the moniker of “King” from the local surfing community, the Chronicle reported.
