Playa del Carmen, Q.R. — An American man wanted for the murder of his American girlfriend was captured in central Playa del Carmen. Over the weekend, police arrested a man they have identified as Shane Poul “N”.
Police executed an arrest warrant against him after his girlfriend was found dead in a central Playa del Carmen hotel on February 17, 2026. The woman, who has not been identified, was found under a blanket with numerous physical injuries.
Her body was found by hotel staff after, according to the hotel, Shane Poul “N” requested the room for an additional day. However, he was told the room had already been reserved for another guest at which time Shane Poul “N” simply left the hotel without officially checking out.
The woman’s dead body was found left behind under a blanket inside the hotel room. She was discovered when hotel staff arrived to clear the room for the next guest. Police issued a warrant for the arrest of Shane Poul “N” in relation to her death.
Over the weekend, he was captured on the corner of 24th Avenue and 10th in central Playa del Carmen in the same area of the hotel. The FGE (State Attorney General) said he is being held on possible charges of femicide.
“Elements of the Investigative Police, attached to the State Attorney General’s Office (FGE), carried out an arrest warrant on a male identified as Shane Poul “N” of American nationality,” the FGE (Fiscalía General del Estado) reported.
He was arrested “for his alleged relationship in events possibly constituting the crime of femicide to the detriment of a victim of reserved identity of the same nationality.
“The events for which he was arrested occurred on February 17 of this year when employees of a hotel, located at the corner of 24th and 10th streets in the Centro neighborhood of Playa del Carmen, made a report.
“Upon arriving at the aforementioned room, Investigative Police found under a blanket, the lifeless body of the victim, which had visible injuries on the right arm, back of the neck and lower extremities.
“According to initial investigations, the suspect requested the room he shared with the victim for one more day, but at the hotel reception, he was told it was already reserved, so around noon he left the place without providing any information.
“From the beginning of the investigation into these events, the proceedings are carried out with a gender perspective, applying the ministerial, police and expert investigation protocol for the crime of femicide.
“Following investigations by the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Combating the Crime of Femicide, it was possible to obtain various expert evidence that allowed Shane Poul “N” to be identified as the victim’s boyfriend.
“They then contacted North American authorities to locate and subsequently arrest him on 15th Avenue South. Among his belongings was the passport of the deceased.
“The individual in question was placed at the disposal of the requesting authority; his legal status will be defined within the constitutionally established timeframe, in accordance with the law.”
Police did not say if Shane Poul “N” and his girlfriend were visitors or residents of Playa del Carmen.
