Police in Costa Rica are checking if a body dug up from a farm belongs to Daniel Francisco Vargas Salas, a 71-year-old man locals call Gringo Tico. He went missing last month, and the find has raised questions about what happened to him.
Vargas Salas left his home in Carrizal, Alajuela, on September 12 and never came back. People knew him well in the area—he spent years working in the United States before moving back to Costa Rica two years ago. He has a son and a daughter and lived in the central part of Alajuela canton.
His family reported him missing on September 24, twelve days after he vanished. That same day, officers found his car left behind at a shop in Heredia. When investigators checked his house in Carrizal two days later, on September 26, they saw it stripped bare. Everything was gone, from furniture to kitchen items. Neighbors recalled seeing a vehicle pull up soon after he disappeared and haul away his things.
The case took a turn on October 2 when judicial police raided two houses in San Pablo de Barva, Heredia. They arrested a 29-year-old woman named GarcÃa Castro on charges of handling stolen goods. In the searches, they recovered a load of items that matched what was missing from Vargas Salas’s place: pots, a dryer, plates, glasses, spoons, a bed, a mattress, some furniture, a grill, a refrigerator, and even a pickaxe used for digging.
Officers think this woman ties into his disappearance, though they first nabbed her for receiving the stolen property. She remains in custody as they piece together her role.
Then, on October 4, agents unearthed a man’s body buried on a farm in the Los Cartagos area of Vara Blanca, Heredia—about 15 to 20 minutes from where Vargas Salas lived in Carrizal. The spot sits near the border between Heredia and Alajuela provinces. Early signs point to it being him, but tests are underway to confirm the identity. The body showed up during a search linked to the ongoing probe.
Randall Zúñiga, head of the Judicial Investigation Agency, shared that the team secured the site and forensic experts are handling the remains. They want to know how he died and if foul play was involved.
Right now, no one rules out any possibility. The police keep digging into leads, talking to people who knew Vargas Salas, and following up on tips. If you have details that could help, call the confidential line at 800-8000645 or message via WhatsApp at 8800-0645.
This story hits close for many in Alajuela and Heredia, where folks remember Gringo Tico as a quiet returnee from abroad. As more facts come out, his family and community wait for answers on what led to his end.
