Traveller stabbed, dismembered and stuffed in a rucksack when she moved to paradise for a fresh start
Traveller stabbed, dismembered and stuffed in a rucksack when she moved to paradise for a fresh start
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Yvonne Baldelli thought she’d found her dream home with her 'perfect man', but she’d actually been lured to her death…
With crystal clear waters lapping on the soft white sands and endless palm trees providing coconuts for cocktails, the remote island of Carenero, just off the coast of Panama, was the perfect place for Yvonne Baldelli to escape to.
It was a dream destination for the free-spirited divorcée from California, who was looking for a fresh start. With her boyfriend Brian Brimager and her beloved dog by her side, she thought she’d found paradise.
Yvonne, 42, raved about her new life to her family, so they were stunned when, after just three months there, Brian revealed Yvonne had left him, claiming she’d gone travelling with another man.
Brian’s story made no sense. But it took two years to discover the horrific truth behind her disappearance, stuffed inside a rucksack in the swamps of a Panama jungle.
In 2011, Yvonne had come to a crossroads. She’d been made redundant from her job as a sales manager and saw a chance to change her life. Deep down, she longed for a simple life by the ocean.
The laid-back vibe of Panama’s remote islands was exactly what she was looking for, so she was thrilled when her boyfriend of two years agreed to join her. Tall, well-built Brian had just completed eight years in the Marines – and Yvonne was smitten.
Later that year, the couple moved to Isla Carenero, where they rented a place on the beach. They even took Yvonne’s Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Georgia Mae, with them.
Brian made a living playing guitar and singing in bars, while Yvonne planned on making clothes to sell. She was constantly in touch with her loved ones saying how happy she was. She’d email describing her tropical adventure; how she’d wake up and swim in the sea or watch Brian singing in the local bars as the sun went down.
Then just three months after Yvonne arrived, the calls stopped and the emails slowed down. Then Brian emailed to say that she’d left him for another man called Tony Gonzales and they had gone travelling in Costa Rica together. She’d even taken her dog.
Her family were stunned, it was so against Yvonne’s character – but when they received an email from her backing up the story, they couldn’t dispute the evidence. Money had also been withdrawn from her bank account in Costa Rica.
Brian returned to California and within days he rekindled a relationship with a former girlfriend and mother of his young daughter. Weeks later, Brian proposed and by January 2012, they were married.
Over the next few months, Yvonne’s emails stopped and
when she didn’t appear at a family event, she was reported missing. Investigators discovered there was no evidence of her leaving Panama or entering Costa Rica.
Yvonne’s family feared the worst and travelled to Panama to search for her. There, they discovered her relationship wasn’t as perfect as she’d claimed.
Locals revealed that the couple had fierce arguments and Yvonne was even seen with a black eye. Her family had to come to terms with the fact she was most likely dead. They spent days searching nearby swamp land in the jungle but found nothing. They feared
she’d been dumped in the sea and might never be found. Over the next few months, Yvonne’s emails stopped and
when she didn’t appear at a family event, she was reported missing. Investigators discovered there was no evidence of her leaving Panama or entering Costa Rica.
Yvonne’s family feared the worst and travelled to Panama to search for her. There, they discovered her relationship wasn’t as perfect as she’d claimed.
Locals revealed that the couple had fierce arguments and Yvonne was even seen with a black eye. Her family had to come to terms with the fact she was most likely dead. They spent days searching nearby swamp land in the jungle but found nothing. They feared she’d been dumped in the sea and might never be found.
The prime suspect from the very start was Brian. Investigators went to the beach home he’d shared with Yvonne and found traces of blood. There was also a post on Brian’s Facebook shortly after she disappeared talking about a machete he was selling. "I’ve only used it to chop up one stripper," he joked, but he’d actually revealed a clue.
Yvonne was last seen with Brian on the night of November 26, 2011, at a steak restaurant. Locals said later that day there were sounds of a violent fight in their home. After that, Brian told everyone Yvonne had run off with another man. Was that the day she was killed?
Police concluded that her dog was dead too. If Brian was going to make people believe Yvonne had left him, the dog would have to disappear.
Without a body, Yvonne’s family were in limbo. They held a memorial service for her while the case was investigated. Then, on June 26, 2013, Brian was suddenly arrested, just weeks after his wife had their second daughter.
He was charged with covering up Yvonne’s death – but not her actual murder. Investigators said he’d killed Yvonne and gone to extreme lengths to get away with it. Finally, he was in custody and there was now plenty of evidence.
After Yvonne had gone missing, he researched on the internet how to clean blood off a mattress. Investigators also discovered that the emails sent from Yvonne’s account were actually sent by Brian. He’d cruelly tricked her loved ones into believing she was still alive.
Found in a swamp
Two months later, a local worker in Panama discovered a military-style backpack and trash bags in a jungle swamp near where Yvonne was last seen. Inside were skeletal remains and DNA tests confirmed it was Yvonne. She’d been dismembered, probably with a machete. It was a bitter-sweet discovery for Yvonne’s family.
Brian was charged with murder and in an agreement with Panama citing a rarely used law, it was decided that he would be prosecuted in the US, not Panama. Initially, Brian pleaded not guilty but at his trial in February this year, he pleaded guilty to
second-degree murder.
Brian, now 40, admitted stabbing his girlfriend in the back during an argument. He dismembered her body with a machete, stuffed parts into a rucksack and dumped it in the jungle.
He then tried to cover his tracks by hacking into her email account and even travelled back to the US via Costa Rica so he could withdraw cash from a cashpoint there.
He’d disposed of a bloody mattress in the sea and killed Yvonne’s beloved dog. He’d even packed her things up and left them outside a hostel so they’d be taken. It was cold, cruel and calculated
Brian had been talking to his former girlfriend, now wife, while he was living with Yvonne in Panama. Did he have plans to get back with her? If that was the case, why hadn’t he simply walked away? The lack of motive will haunt Yvonne’s loved ones forever.
Brian was sentenced to 26 years for killing Yvonne in a "savage and vicious way’". He apologised for the act that he said was "completely contrary to my nature". They were empty words for Yvonne’s family, who had spent agonising years searching for the truth.
Yvonne thought she was starting a new life in paradise, but she’d taken with her the one thing that could end it all – Brian.
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