JUST  HOURS  after  the announcement of a $50,000 reward for  information leading to the killer of an American tourist, President , Juan Carlos Varela said that  a suspect has been identified.

Catherine Johannet, 23, was strangled , in Bocas del Toro in early February this year.

A source linked to the investigation of the  murder told La Prensa  the suspect is from the indigenous community and DNA tests are being carried out on residents of the island Bastimentos, where the young woman died.

Varela's statements came on Thursday Mar. 9 after a meeting with Public Ministry authorities  in Bocas del Toro, during a visit, to Isla Bastimentos where the victim’s body was found.

Before arriving on the island, the president visited the communities where the victims of the bus crash in Antón, Coclé on Sunday, Mar 5.

19 people died in the crash and 37 were injured, one of whom remains in intensive care.