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Slain Hoosier Loved Living in
Costa Rica
(Associated
Press) - An Indiana man found
stabbed to death in a water
storage tank in Costa Rica went
to the Central American nation
for its beauty and to live the
good life, his friends said.
The longtime Crown Point
resident retired from his job at
the Youche Country Club, packed
up his belongings in September
and headed to Jaco for warmth
and a lower cost of living,
several friends told the Times
of Munster for a Wednesday
story.
A maintenance worker Dec. 19
found the body of Arne R. Hedlof,
59, in the beach resort of Jacó,
75 miles southwest of San José,
said Carlos Venegas, the
detective in charge of the case.
Officials at the U.S. Embassy
confirmed Hedlof’s death but
declined to comment further.
He was an Army helicopter crew
chief during the Vietnam War and
lived in northwestern Indiana
most of his life. Hedlof was an
auto mechanic and service
manager at several car
dealerships, said Hedlof’s
longtime friend Lee Dillabaugh.
Venegas said Hedlof had been
stabbed numerous times. Police
in Costa Rica were searching for
a man seen going into the house
a few days before the body was
found and were trying to
determine a motive.
One friend said he believed
Hedlof’s friendly nature was his
downfall.
“He was a good man,” said Hal
Milby, who knew Hedlof for 20
years. “He taught me a lot. He
was always trying to help people
out. I think that’s what got him
in trouble in Costa Rica.”
Tim Heidbreder, a friend of 45
years, said Hedlof was excited
to start his new life.
“He went down and fell in love
with the place, fell in love
with the people,” said
Heidbreder, who visited Hedlof
in Costa Rica in October. “He
was probably one of the most
upbeat people you ever met in
your life.”
Friends saw Hedlof for the last
time in early December, when he
came home for two weeks to put
his affairs in order and talked
about a potential job offer at a
resort hotel. Dillabaugh dropped
Hedlof off at a bus stop in
Merrillville on Dec. 1.
Hedlof is survived by his twin
brother, Einar Hedlof, of
Milwaukee; brother Maynard
Hedlof, of Spring, Texas; and
sister Janet Frazee, of Crown
Point.
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