Yahoo Sports Report: American bookmaker found dead in Costa Rica after missing for nearly one year
A United States bookmaker was found dead in Costa Rica last week, nearly one year after he went missing in the country, Costa Rican officials told ESPN on Monday.
William Sean Creighton — who founded and ran 5Dimes, an online sportsbook based near San Jose — was found in a cemetery in Quepos, Costa Rica, a small town on the western coast nearly 90 miles from the capital. The cause of death has not been confirmed, per the report, because “it isn’t clear yet.” Officials did not reveal how they discovered his body or identified his remains.
"We can confirm Costa Rican authorities identified the remains of a U.S. citizen in Costa Rica," a United States State Department spokesperson said in a statement, via ESPN. "We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss. We are closely monitoring local authorities' investigation into the cause of death.”
Creighton, who was born in West Virginia, moved to Costa Rica and founded 5Dimes in 1999. According to ESPN, the United States government revealed it was investigating 5Dimes for money laundering, alleging that the company instructed bettors in the United States to use gift cards to place and cash out bets. Charges were never brought against 5Dimes or Creighton, though the investigation is still ongoing.
Costa Rican officials said that Creighton was abducted last September, and that his family received a $5 million ransom demand. Officials arrested 12 people in connection with his abduction in both Costa Rica and Spain in January. His body, per the report, was found nearly three hours from where he was initially abducted.
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