A journalist investigating the death of a woman from the United States was physically assaulted by an entrepreneur who provides river rafting tours in Costa Rica. Such was the report published by Diario Extra, the daily tabloid which assigned Alfonso Gatjens to look into the circumstances surrounding the tragic death of Amanda Hellman, a woman from the U.S. who died in the Sarapiqui river during a kayaking tour.

According to Carlos Castro Gamboa of Diario Extra, Mr. Gatjens arrived in the Sarapiqui riverbanks located in the province of Heredia, not far from the ecotourist community of Puerto Viejo. It is important to note that this is not the same Puerto Viejo located in the Southern Caribbean region. Among Mr. Gatjen’s tools of journalistic trade, he carried a camera, which hung from a strap around his neck. The following is a translation from the statement given by Mr. Gatjens to Diario Extra:

“I was covering the death of a foreign woman who lost her life in a kayaking accident, when this guy approached me and threatened me, saying that if I tarnished his business with my news report, I would pay dearly. I simply told him to say that again, this time in front of the camera so that I could record it, when he grabbed the camera strap and tried to strangulate me.”

As it happens, agents from the Office of Judicial Investigations (Spanish initials: OIJ) were on scene to investigate the accident and the death. The presence of law enforcement officials did not deter the aggressor, who has been identified by the last names of Baltodano Duran, owner of the rafting tour outfit that provided Ms. Hellman’s final kayaking voyage.

Mr. Gatjens continued:

“He threw me against a vehicle from the OIJ; I ended up face down on the mud trying to protect the camera while he kept trying to strangulate me with the strap. I was running out of breath but was able to release the strap.”

Mr. Gatjens added that bystanders and kayak practitioners helped to pull Mr. Baltodano away from him. You can see the extent of Mr. Gatjens’ injuries in this link; in the end, he went to the hospital and then to the prosecutor’s office, where a protective order preventing Mr. Baltodano from coming near Mr. Gatjens has been issued.

After his visit to the hospital and to the prosecutor’s office, Mr. Gatjens put together a quick report from his field notes. Over the last three days, strong rains in Sarapiqui have elevated the river and caused flooding. Although the Sarapiqui river is not as notable as the Pacuare in terms of whitewater rafting (sections of the Pacuare are rated Category 5 rapids), the strong rains can make kayaking dangerous. Apparently, Ms. Hellman lost control of her kayak as she hit a branch and started taking on water. Despite the efforts of others who were also navigating the Sarapiqui river on kayaks, Ms. Hellman could not be rescued.