"Kurt would never hurt anybody, and he was always there when you needed him."
A horror story emerging from Costa Rica, this morning, with the San Francisco Chronicle reporting the grisly murder of Kurt Van Dyke. The 66-year-old, who hails from the legendary Van Dyke family us Santa Cruz way, had opened a hostel in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, there on Costa Rica’s Caribbean side, and was a well-loved fixture in town.
He was also a notable ripper in the area, dubbed “The King” according to the New York Post.
Authorities have shared that, at some point this past Saturday, intruders broke into Van Dyke’s Costa Rican apartment, which he shared with his 31-year-old girlfriend, and bound the two of them with zip ties, assaulted Van Dyke, then robbed them, including taking one of the vehicles.
The girlfriend survived while Van Dyke was found lifeless under a bed with a sheet over his head and multiple stab wounds.
Kurt’s brother, Peter Van Dyke, told the Chronicle, “My brother was a very benevolent, giving person who would help just about anybody. Kurt would never hurt anybody, and he was always there when you needed him. Everyone that he met knew this about him.”
Roger Sams, president of the Southern Caribbean Chamber of Tourism and Commerce, told Surfer Magazine, “We have the Police delegation in Playa Negra, the cantonal, which is the most modern in the country. We are working hand in hand on security issues. It shocks us and hurts us, because the Caribbean has been very calm.”
Attempting to tamp down fear, Sams concluded, “There have been no cases of violence reported like this against tourists. In recent months there has been no violence or assaults. This is an isolated case, he is the owner of a hotel, not a tourist, it has not to do with tourists and the people who come to visit us.”