Two Arrested in Killing of California Surfing Legend

Costa Rica’s Judicial Investigation Agency detained Arroyo and a 34-year-old man surnamed Gutierrez on suspicion of murder during an operation involving raids on three homes in Roxana de Pococí early on November 12. Investigators have not publicly described the suspects’ alleged roles in the killing. Authorities have not confirmed whether the detained woman is the same Arroyo identified as Van Dyke’s girlfriend in earlier accounts.

Van Dyke, 66, was found dead on February 14 at his home in Hone Creek, in the Cahuita area. He had stab wounds and signs of asphyxiation. His girlfriend told authorities that a pair of men carrying weapons went inside, bound her using plastic restraints, and took valuables.

The initial account treated the case as a home invasion. Van Dyke and his girlfriend seemed to have been kept in a single room, and her car was initially said to have been stolen. The vehicle was later found undamaged. Investigators were also searching for two additional suspects over the incident.

Van Dyke grew up in Santa Cruz and ran a hostel in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca. He came from a prominent surfing family: his father helped pioneer Northern California surfing in the 1950s, and his mother was an early woman champion in competitive surfing.