Key Highlights
- Law enforcement later arrived at the scene and confirmed the death. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementVan Dyke's body showed signs of strangulation and stab wounds, and was undergoing an autopsy, according to AP.
- The news organization, citing law enforcement, reported that two men armed with at least one gun had threatened Van Dyke and a woman, stolen objects from the home and apparently a vehicle. Wilbur Wood, baseball, 1941-2026Phil Goyette, hockey, 1933-206Eddie McCreadie, soccer, 1940-2026Dave Giusti, baseball, 1939-2026Martin Chivers, soccer, 1945-2026Billy Truax, football, 1943-2026Jawann Oldham, basketball, 1957-2026Robert Pulford, hockey, 1936-20261 / 8Sports figures we lost in 2026Wilbur Wood, baseball, 1941-20261 / 8Sports figures we lost in 2026Wilbur Wood, baseball, 1941-20262 / 8Sports figures we lost in 2026Phil Goyette, hockey, 1933-2063 / 8Sports figures we lost in 2026Eddie McCreadie, soccer, 1940-20264 / 8Sports figures we lost in 2026Dave Giusti, baseball, 1939-20265 / 8Sports figures we lost in 2026Martin Chivers, soccer, 1945-20266 / 8Sports figures we lost in 2026Billy Truax, football, 1943-20267 / 8Sports figures we lost in 2026Jawann Oldham, basketball, 1957-20268 / 8Sports figures we lost in 2026Robert Pulford, hockey, 1936-2026The woman who was with Van Dyke suffered minor injuries, CNN reported.
- The case remains under investigation. USA TODAY has reached out to Costa Rica's Judicial Investigation Agency for comment. Who was Kurt Van Dyke?Van Dyke, 66, who was from Santa Cruz, California, was part of a prominent surfing family.
- He later became a longtime resident of Costa Rica and owned Hotel Puerto Viejo in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, a coastal town known for its Salsa Brava surf breaks, according to the Tico Times and CRHoy. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHis father, Gene Van Dyke, had pioneered surfing in Northern California in the 1950s, according to SURFER and the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
- In 2021, the Mercury News described Kurt Van Dyke's father as the "fraying thread of Bay Area surf culture."Kurt Van Dyke's mother, Betty Van Dyke, was also well-known in the surfing community and a member of a cohort of female surfer pioneers in Santa Cruz in the 1950s and 1960s, according to the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
