US woman killed in southern Costa Rica after attacker hits her in head with a rock

Update: The Judicial Investigation police published a clarification that the woman’s name was Kropf, not Crock as originally reported by the authorities.

A U.S. woman was killed with a rock to the head in southern Costa Rica on Wednesday afternoon. Police responded to a 911 call that a woman had been attacked with a rock in Coto Brus. When they arrived at the scene with a Red Cross ambulance they found the woman dead from apparent head injuries. The Judicial Investigation Police (OIJ) told The Tico Times that the victim’s name is Ester Kropf, age between 35-40 years old.

A 20-year-old male suspect, identified with the last names Jiménez Torres, called police after the incident and is in custody. According to the suspect, Kropf raised Jiménez since he was a boy. He accused Kropf of sexually abusing him. The two were in a river 500 meters from their home in Los Ángeles de Limoncito when Jiménez allegedly grabbed a rock and smashed it into Kropf’s head.

The daily La Nación reported that Kropf had lived in Costa Rica for 14 years as part of a Mennonite community in the southern canton that sits alongside the Panamanian border. The Tico Times was unable to immediately verify her immigration status.

This story is a breaking news story, and will be updated as it develops.