Costa Rica is continuing to investigate the disappearance of a foreign woman in Santa Ana, a case that has drawn wider attention after new details emerged about her young children.
The missing woman has been identified as Junieysis Adely Merlo Espinoza, a 29-year-old Nicaraguan national who has lived in Costa Rica for about a decade. She was last seen on March 31 in Condominio Los Pericos in Salitral de Santa Ana, and her disappearance was formally reported to the Organismo de Investigación Judicial on April 2.
The case widened this week as attention turned to Merlo’s four-year-old twin daughters. The girls had been located and were under their father’s care. The children’s status added a new layer to the investigation, but authorities have not publicly laid out a full account of what happened to their mother.
It has also been reported that investigators are examining the role of Merlo’s former partner. Her ex-partner said he is being investigated and described himself as the main suspect in the case. In a separate report, the same outlet said Merlo’s father believes the OIJ is following that line of investigation and that electronic devices had been seized. Those details, however, come from media reporting on statements by family members and the former partner, not from a detailed public briefing by the OIJ.
Other parts of the timeline remain unclear. Relatives were told Merlo may have been heading to the beach with other content creators before she vanished, but family members have questioned that version of events. The uncertainty around those accounts has deepened concern on both sides of the Costa Rica Nicaragua border.
For now, the confirmed picture remains limited. A young foreign mother disappeared in Santa Ana, her daughters have been found safe, and the judicial investigation is still active. Until Costa Rican Police release more information, much of what has circulated publicly remains incomplete or disputed.
