Costa Rican authorities have confirmed the death of a missing U.S. tourist whose body was found in a river in a mountainous area of Nosara, Guanacaste, several days after he was last seen leaving for nearby Sámara. The Judicial Investigation Agency identified the man as Warren Francis Vogt, 75, an American visitor who had been in Costa Rica since March 8.
Investigators said Vogt was last seen on March 11, when he left a home in Nosara de Nicoya at 8:51 a.m. Video circulating here locally, shows him saying goodbye before departing. Police said he told those with him that he was heading to Sámara in a rental car and planned to return later, but he never came back.
The case drew the attention of both the OIJ and the Public Force after concerns grew over his disappearance. A friend filed a report with authorities after Vogt failed to return, and police later focused their search on a remote sector after his vehicle was found abandoned off the road in a difficult-to-access mountainous area.
Motorcyclists traveling through the area located the damaged vehicle and alerted authorities, helping direct the search into rough terrain near Nosara. It was reported the car was found in an area so isolated that access was mainly possible by motorcycle, horseback, or on foot.
Authorities later located Vogt’s body in a river in the same general area. Judicial agents were dispatched to recover the body and continue the investigation into how the vehicle ended up in the remote location and what led to the tourist’s death. Officials have not yet publicly detailed a cause of death.
Before the discovery, local efforts had included checking nearby clinics and medical centers for any sign of the missing tourist. With the body now recovered, the investigation remains open as authorities work to clarify the circumstances surrounding the case.
