A dream vacation in paradise took a deadly turn after a man reportedly hurled himself off a luxury hotel balcony in Aruba — and police made a grisly discovery inside his hotel room: the lifeless body of his wife.
The case is now being investigated as a chilling murder-suicide.
On the morning of January 4, guests at the upscale St. Regis hotel in Noord, Aruba, were stunned when a man plunged from the top floor of the high-rise building. Authorities arrived quickly but could only confirm the man was already dead.
But the horror didn’t end there.
When police entered his room, they found a woman dead inside. The Aruba Police Force called the case “regrettable and unusual” — but local reports from Diario paint a darker picture, with sources confirming investigators are treating it as a murder-suicide.
The deceased were identified as B. Jozic, 45, originally from Bosnia, and C. Jozic, 52, originally from the Philippines. Both were U.S. residents, and believed to be a married couple visiting the island on vacation.
Though their full names weren’t officially released, a Facebook account under the name “Boris Cristina Jozic” had posted vacation photos tagged in Palm Beach, Aruba — just minutes from where the tragedy occurred.
A GoFundMe launched in the aftermath identifies the female victim as Cristina Gatia, a mother of five and grandmother. The fundraiser states she died on January 4, the same day her body was found in the hotel room.
“She poured her heart into her family and was deeply passionate about health and fitness,” wrote the organizer. “Whether as a mother, mentor, or friend, Cristina showed up with love, strength, and compassion.”
Photos from the fundraising page match those found on the Jozic Facebook account, suggesting the couple owned a gym in Illinois and had traveled to Aruba for the new year.
More than $30,000 has been raised so far to support Cristina’s surviving children and grandchildren.
Aruban authorities have not released additional details about the manner of Cristina’s death or what may have led to the apparent murder-suicide. The U.S. Embassy in Aruba has not issued a public statement.
This marks the second major tourist-related death on the island in recent months, raising new concerns about mental health, domestic violence, and warning signs that often go unseen behind vacation photos.
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide or domestic abuse, help is available. Call or text 988 or contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.
GoFundMe? Typical and pitiful.