Violent Crime and Deaths of U.S. Citizens in Costa Rica – 0.000821917808 American citizens slaughtered daily in Costa Rica in 2013.

If you check the most recent Deaths of U.S. Citizens Abroad statistics compiled by the US Department of State from January 2013 to the end of December 2013 you will see that the number one cause of “non-natural” deaths for US citizens in Costa Rica is “Drowning” (11) followed by “other accidents.”

On the U.S Department of State website it states that:

“Sec. 204(c) of P.L. 107-228, the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003, mandates that, to the maximum extent practicable, the Department of State collect and make available on the Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs Internet web site certain information with respect to each United States citizen who dies in a foreign country from a non-natural cause. The information required is: (1) the date of death; (2) the locality where the death occurred; and (3) the cause of death, including, if the death resulted from an act of terrorism, a statement disclosing that fact. Whenever possible, a more specific cause of death is provided (e.g.,Drowning-Ocean, instead of Drowning). The information on the web site must be listed on a country-by-country basis, and must cover deaths occurring since the date of enactment of the legislation on September 30, 2002, or occurring during the preceding three calendar years, whichever period is shorter. The information is updated every six months.”

• 3 died in “vehicle accidents.”
• 11 died from “drowning.”
• 1 died from “drug related” causes.
• 2 from “suicide.”
• 5 died from “other accidents.”
• 3 were “homicides.”

So during the twelve months of 2013 – when an average of 0.000821917808 US citizens were being murdered every day in Costa Rica – you would have had a 250% higher probability of drowning than being murdered.

This morning a long-time VIP Member emailed me the newspaper article about about some elderly neighbors of his in Utah: Double murder charges filed in 2011 Mt. Pleasant deaths.

Here’s what he said:

“It’s a tragic story but before we moved to Costa Rica, this murdered couple asked us very condescendingly: “Are you sure it’s safe down there?” and suggested that we were foolish moving to Costa Rica which they considered a “dangerous” foreign country even though they had never visited.

They only lived a couple of blocks away from where we lived in a small town in the mountains of rural (Mormon) Utah where nothing bad supposedly ever happens. They didn’t even lock their front doors and windows and were murdered in their beds.”

The bottom line is that during 2013, when 25 US citizens died in Costa Rica of “non-natural causes,” only three (3) were murdered.

PS. Our hawk-eyed readers might question the validity of the “drowning” in Grecia which is a long way from the coast but as you can see from this Deaths of U.S. Citizens in Costa Rica article, this gentleman – whom I knew – drowned when his car crashed into a small river in Grecia.

Written by Scott Oliver, author of 1: How To Buy Costa Rica Real Estate Without Losing Your Camisa, 2: Costa Rica’s Guide To Making Money Offshore and 3. ¿Cómo Comprar Bienes Raíces en Costa Rica, Sin Perder Su Camisa?

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.