In the first couple weeks of September 2021, a string of highly publicized deaths of foreigners caused concern with the Medellín expat community. The first occurred when the body of a Dominican tourist was discovered in a hotel room in Medellin’s Poblado neighborhood, a day after he was last seen in the area on September 5, 2021. The room and body showed no signs of violence. The cause of death was determined to be some type of poisoning.
The second incident occurred on September 14th, in the same area. An unidentified foreign man, believed to be of North American origin, was also discovered dead in a luxury Poblado apartment. Foul play is suspected in this case as well, although it has not officially been ruled a homicide yet. A third death with a harrowingly similar storyline (found dead in a hotel room in El Poblado) just a week later caused even more concern, as did the death of a woman from Czech Republic in Jardín, Antioquia around the same time.
Naturally, given these tragic stories, many people in North America and Europe may be asking themselves if, as the pandemic winds down, Medellín, Colombia is a safe city to visit or live in.
This article will look at police data from this year, and compare it to other cities in Latin América and USA to help determine if Medellín is safe to visit in 2021.