A MAN has been charged with the murder of a London mum who was found dead in a shallow grave while on a dream holiday in Peru.
Karla Xiomara Zelaya Godoy, 36, a Spanish-Honduran national went missing at the end of September during a trip with her boyfriend to visit his family near Lima.
Peruvian police have confirmed the mum-of-one, who was living in London with her partner, was strangled to death.
Her body was found wrapped in blue plastic sheeting in Carabayllo, North of Lima, after a chilling tip-off.
Jorge Garay, 46, of Hythe Street, Dartford, has been charged by Kent and Essex police with the murder of 36-year-old Karla Godoy in Lima between September 21 and October 2.
Garay was arrested in London on Saturday with assistance from the Metropolitan Police Service.
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The Crown Prosecution Service gave authorisation for him to be charged on Sunday.
Garay, who was known to Ms Godoy, has been remanded in custody and is due to appear at Folkestone Magistrates' Court on Monday.
A Kent Police spokesperson said: "Officers are continuing to work closely with the Peruvian authorities as part of the ongoing investigation."
The couple visited various tourist hotspots in Peru, including Machu Picchu and the capital Lima, and shared pictures of their dream trip on a WhatsApp group.
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Karla reportedly last spoke to her mum on September 22 while she was in a taxi just north of Lima.
She told her she would be heading to Spain the next day – but she was never heard from again.
Cops in Peru launched an investigation into her disappearance on October 3 – 11 days – initially believing she had been kidnapped.
But her body was later found in a shallow grave with police reportedly taking more than 10 hours to recover the remains.
Karla's boss has paid tribute to the mum-of-one, describing her as a "beautiful soul" who "brought sunshine into everyone’s life with her carefree spirit and her loving nature".
The company's chief executive Mary-Jane Pettit said: "Her heart was so full of love for her daughter and family.
"Karla will be sadly missed and her friends and work family are beside themselves with grief.
"Our love and prayers are with Karla’s family at this very sad time."
The company boss said she and her team were told on 4 October that Karla had vanished.
Within minutes they worked out they could use an app which they normally use to keep in touch with remote workers to try and find her.
Sales executive Sean Coleman got in touch with the software's publishers, Connecteam, and alerted cops in the UK and various embassies.
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Karla's body was later found a short distance from her last known location on the app.
The company is now raising funds for Karla's eight-year-old daughter, hoping to stump up £10,000 for the little girl.
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