Elements of the Investigative Police, assigned to the State Attorney General’s Office, executed an arrest warrant for a man identified as Shane Poul N., a U.S. citizen, for his alleged involvement in acts that may constitute the crime of femicide, against a victim whose identity is being withheld, also a U.S. citizen.
It should be noted that, according to the missing person report issued by the Playa del Carmen city council on February 24, Shane Poul traveled from Utah to Playa del Carmen on February 9, 2026, along with his now-deceased wife.
The report states that the last time the family reported having contact with Shane Poulsen, a U.S. citizen, was on February 16 via telephone, and on February 21 they received a text message. They have not been able to locate him since.
His family also stated that Mr. Shane Poulsen suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and may have been under the influence of drugs.
In a statement, the State Attorney General’s Office said that the events for which the American 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 this municipality called 911 to report that there were guest belongings in a room for which they had already returned the key.
When Investigative Police arrived at the room, they found the victim’s lifeless body under a blanket. The body had visible injuries on the right arm, the back of the neck, and the lower extremities.
According to initial investigations, the suspect requested the room he shared with the victim for one more day, but the hotel reception told him it was already reserved. Around noon, he left the hotel without providing any information.
From the outset of the investigation, proceedings have been conducted with a gender perspective, applying the ministerial, police, and expert investigation protocol for the crime of femicide.
Following the investigations by the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Combating Femicide, various expert pieces of evidence were obtained that identified Shane Poul N. as the victim’s partner. Authorities contacted U.S. authorities to locate and subsequently arrest him on 15th Avenue South. Among his belongings was the deceased woman’s passport.
The suspect was taken into custody by the requesting authority. His legal status will be determined within the constitutionally mandated timeframe, in accordance with the law.
Source: jornada
