Photo: Greenwich PoliceThe 24-year-old woman whosebody was found stuffed in a suitcaseon the side of the road in Greenwich, Connecticut, in February, died from a lack of oxygen, authorities announced Monday.The official cause of death forValerie Reyes of New Rochelle, New York,was listed as homicidal asphyxia, the Connecticut Office ofthe Chief Medical Examiner in Farmingtonsaid Monday, multiple outlets including the Associated Press, theGreenwich Timeand NBC New York report.The ME’s office did not specify whether Reyes died before her ex-boyfriend, Javier Da Silva, 24, allegedly stuffed her in the suitcase — orif she suffocated while she was bound and trapped insidethe large piece of luggage.Reyes’ body was found in a red suitcase, with her hands and feet bound, on the side of the road in Greenwich on Feb. 5.On Feb. 11, Da Silva was arrested in Queens on a federal charge of kidnapping resulting in death, which carries a sentence of death or life imprisonment, Nicholas Biase, a spokesman for the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York previously confirmed to PEOPLE.Da Silva, who had recently come to the U.S. from Venezuela, was arrested after authorities caught him fraudulently using an ATM card belonging to Reyes, Greenwich police allege.Valerie Reyes’ casket is carried to its final resting place at her funeral in in Rye, New York, on Feb. 13, 2019.Tyler Sizemore/Heast Connecticut MediaDuring questioning, Da Silva allegedlyadmitted his rolein murdering Reyes, police said.Valerie Reyes.Greenwich PoliceOn Feb. 12, Da Silva made an initial appearance before a federal magistrate in White Plains, whoordered him held without bail, ABC News reports.He has not yet been formally arraigned or entered a plea. He remains in federal custody, Biase tells PEOPLE.• Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage?Click hereto get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.On April 12, Biase told the AP that federal prosecutors are discussing a possible plea deal with Da Silva’s attorneys to “find a resolution of the case without a trial.”PEOPLE’s calls to his attorneys for comment were not immediately returned.Eerie PremonitionsOn the night of Jan. 28, the last time Reyes’ mother, Norma Sanchez spoke to her daughter, the panicked young woman told her she felt scared that something bad was going to happen to her, theJournal News, local news station WABC andThe New York Timesreported.Reyeslived alone in a basement apartment in New Rochelle,local station WABC reported.Valerie Reyes’s friends and family mourn her loss at her burial in Rye, New York, on Feb. 13, 2019.Tyler Sizemore/Heast Connecticut Media/AP“She was going on about how frightened she was in that apartment,” Sanchez said, theTimesreports.During that call, Reyes was“very scared,” Sanchez said, theJournal Newsreports. “She just said, ‘I’m scared. I’m paranoid, mommy. I’m getting anxiety attacks.’ She was having a hard time talking.”“I asked her, ‘Why do you feel this way? Was there someone at your house?’ I asked about her ex-boyfriend. And she said, ‘No,’” Sanchez said, according to theJournal News.Then she told her mom, “I feel like somebody’s going to murder me,” theTimesreports.If you suspect domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go tothehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
Photo: Greenwich Police
The 24-year-old woman whosebody was found stuffed in a suitcaseon the side of the road in Greenwich, Connecticut, in February, died from a lack of oxygen, authorities announced Monday.The official cause of death forValerie Reyes of New Rochelle, New York,was listed as homicidal asphyxia, the Connecticut Office ofthe Chief Medical Examiner in Farmingtonsaid Monday, multiple outlets including the Associated Press, theGreenwich Timeand NBC New York report.The ME’s office did not specify whether Reyes died before her ex-boyfriend, Javier Da Silva, 24, allegedly stuffed her in the suitcase — orif she suffocated while she was bound and trapped insidethe large piece of luggage.Reyes’ body was found in a red suitcase, with her hands and feet bound, on the side of the road in Greenwich on Feb. 5.On Feb. 11, Da Silva was arrested in Queens on a federal charge of kidnapping resulting in death, which carries a sentence of death or life imprisonment, Nicholas Biase, a spokesman for the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York previously confirmed to PEOPLE.Da Silva, who had recently come to the U.S. from Venezuela, was arrested after authorities caught him fraudulently using an ATM card belonging to Reyes, Greenwich police allege.Valerie Reyes’ casket is carried to its final resting place at her funeral in in Rye, New York, on Feb. 13, 2019.Tyler Sizemore/Heast Connecticut MediaDuring questioning, Da Silva allegedlyadmitted his rolein murdering Reyes, police said.Valerie Reyes.Greenwich PoliceOn Feb. 12, Da Silva made an initial appearance before a federal magistrate in White Plains, whoordered him held without bail, ABC News reports.He has not yet been formally arraigned or entered a plea. He remains in federal custody, Biase tells PEOPLE.• Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage?Click hereto get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.On April 12, Biase told the AP that federal prosecutors are discussing a possible plea deal with Da Silva’s attorneys to “find a resolution of the case without a trial.”PEOPLE’s calls to his attorneys for comment were not immediately returned.Eerie PremonitionsOn the night of Jan. 28, the last time Reyes’ mother, Norma Sanchez spoke to her daughter, the panicked young woman told her she felt scared that something bad was going to happen to her, theJournal News, local news station WABC andThe New York Timesreported.Reyeslived alone in a basement apartment in New Rochelle,local station WABC reported.Valerie Reyes’s friends and family mourn her loss at her burial in Rye, New York, on Feb. 13, 2019.Tyler Sizemore/Heast Connecticut Media/AP“She was going on about how frightened she was in that apartment,” Sanchez said, theTimesreports.During that call, Reyes was“very scared,” Sanchez said, theJournal Newsreports. “She just said, ‘I’m scared. I’m paranoid, mommy. I’m getting anxiety attacks.’ She was having a hard time talking.”“I asked her, ‘Why do you feel this way? Was there someone at your house?’ I asked about her ex-boyfriend. And she said, ‘No,’” Sanchez said, according to theJournal News.Then she told her mom, “I feel like somebody’s going to murder me,” theTimesreports.If you suspect domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go tothehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
The 24-year-old woman whosebody was found stuffed in a suitcaseon the side of the road in Greenwich, Connecticut, in February, died from a lack of oxygen, authorities announced Monday.
The official cause of death forValerie Reyes of New Rochelle, New York,was listed as homicidal asphyxia, the Connecticut Office ofthe Chief Medical Examiner in Farmingtonsaid Monday, multiple outlets including the Associated Press, theGreenwich Timeand NBC New York report.
The ME’s office did not specify whether Reyes died before her ex-boyfriend, Javier Da Silva, 24, allegedly stuffed her in the suitcase — orif she suffocated while she was bound and trapped insidethe large piece of luggage.
Reyes’ body was found in a red suitcase, with her hands and feet bound, on the side of the road in Greenwich on Feb. 5.
On Feb. 11, Da Silva was arrested in Queens on a federal charge of kidnapping resulting in death, which carries a sentence of death or life imprisonment, Nicholas Biase, a spokesman for the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York previously confirmed to PEOPLE.
Da Silva, who had recently come to the U.S. from Venezuela, was arrested after authorities caught him fraudulently using an ATM card belonging to Reyes, Greenwich police allege.
Valerie Reyes’ casket is carried to its final resting place at her funeral in in Rye, New York, on Feb. 13, 2019.Tyler Sizemore/Heast Connecticut Media
During questioning, Da Silva allegedlyadmitted his rolein murdering Reyes, police said.
Valerie Reyes.Greenwich Police
On Feb. 12, Da Silva made an initial appearance before a federal magistrate in White Plains, whoordered him held without bail, ABC News reports.
He has not yet been formally arraigned or entered a plea. He remains in federal custody, Biase tells PEOPLE.
• Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage?Click hereto get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.
On April 12, Biase told the AP that federal prosecutors are discussing a possible plea deal with Da Silva’s attorneys to “find a resolution of the case without a trial.”
PEOPLE’s calls to his attorneys for comment were not immediately returned.
Eerie Premonitions
On the night of Jan. 28, the last time Reyes’ mother, Norma Sanchez spoke to her daughter, the panicked young woman told her she felt scared that something bad was going to happen to her, theJournal News, local news station WABC andThe New York Timesreported.
Reyeslived alone in a basement apartment in New Rochelle,local station WABC reported.
Valerie Reyes’s friends and family mourn her loss at her burial in Rye, New York, on Feb. 13, 2019.Tyler Sizemore/Heast Connecticut Media/AP
“She was going on about how frightened she was in that apartment,” Sanchez said, theTimesreports.
During that call, Reyes was“very scared,” Sanchez said, theJournal Newsreports. “She just said, ‘I’m scared. I’m paranoid, mommy. I’m getting anxiety attacks.’ She was having a hard time talking.”
“I asked her, ‘Why do you feel this way? Was there someone at your house?’ I asked about her ex-boyfriend. And she said, ‘No,’” Sanchez said, according to theJournal News.
Then she told her mom, “I feel like somebody’s going to murder me,” theTimesreports.
If you suspect domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go tothehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
