Chilean actor Alex Araya found dead in Colombia after Tinder date with two women

A Chilean actor has been found dead in his Airbnb vacation rental in Colombia and his family is searching for answers after he was last seen alive with two women he met on Tinder.

The naked body of 42-year-old Alex Araya was discovered face down in bed in a rented apartment in Medellín by a cleaning worker on June 7, Chilean news publication La Tercera reported.

The actor’s family later learned of his death through the news and has been trying to piece together the events ever since, his brother Eduardo Araya told the outlet.

According to his brother, the night before his murder, Alex met two women from the dating app Tinder.

A video shows Alex and the two women entering the rental apartment at around 11:30 p.m. on June 6. According to the recordings, the two women leave the apartment two hours later without him.

The couple reportedly took their credit cards and phone, which they had used to pay for Uber rides, gas station purchases, groceries and jewelry, Eduardo told the local outlet.

He is convinced that the women are not the only ones responsible for his brother’s untimely death and believes they are part of a larger gang targeting tourists.

“There were more people involved,” he said in Spanish. “They were part of a group that was committed to these things.”

Alex’s cause of death is not yet known, but Eduardo believes he was drugged – possibly burundanga, also known as scopolamine, an odorless and tasteless substance that can make a person lose consciousness for up to 24 hours or more. However, higher doses can be fatal.

He had no visible injuries and his body was found in a similar condition to other tourists killed in the area.

Alex is the 29th tourist to die in Medellín this year alone.

The U.S. State Department has issued a level three travel warning for Colombia, recommending that Americans reconsider travel to the country due to high rates of crime, terrorism, social unrest, and kidnapping.

Earlier this month, the agency warned of an increase in reports of drug-related robberies, with suspects often using dating apps to find their latest victims.

“One of the most popular methods of targeting unsuspecting individuals is through online dating apps. Individuals are matched with dates and an agreement is made to meet,” the U.S. Embassy in Bogota said. “This meeting may either initially take place in a public place or at the victim’s home/hotel. Finally, the victim is administered a tranquilizer that leaves them disoriented and sedated, making them easy to rob.”

The embassy had warned of a similar pattern in January after eight Americans were killed under suspicious circumstances in Medellín between November 1 and December 31.