Ex-boyfriend ‘admitted role’ in death of Valerie Reyes, whose body was found bound in a suitcase: Police

Released by Greenwich Police Dept.(GREENWICH, Conn.) -- An ex-boyfriend has been arrested in connection to the death of 24-year-old Valerie Reyes, whose body was discovered bound in a suitcase on the side of the road, according to police.

Javier de Silva, 24, was interviewed and allegedly "admitted a role" in Reyes' death, Greenwich Police Capt. Robert Berry said Tuesday.

He also allegedly used Reyes' ATM card after she was killed, Berry said.

De Silva was arrested Monday night in Queens, New York, according to police.

Reyes, of New Rochelle, New York, was found dead on Feb. 5 inside a suitcase along a Greenwich, Connecticut, road with her hands and feet bound, authorities said.

Autopsy results are pending, Berry said.

Reyes was last seen on Jan. 29 and was later reported missing to the New Rochelle Police, officials said.

Greenwich sits along the New York-Connecticut state border. New Rochelle is about 12 miles south of Greenwich.

Reyes' mother, Norma Sanchez, told ABC New York station WABC-TV last week that her daughter had broken up with her boyfriend days before she disappeared. Police did not confirm that this was the same ex-boyfriend.

In their last conversation with each other, Sanchez said that Reyes told her she had feared for her life and that she thought someone was going to murder her, she told WABC. When Sanchez asked Reyes if someone had threatened her — and asked about her ex — Reyes said "no," Sanchez told WABC.

"They released his name -- my heart dropped," Sanchez told WABC Tuesday after the arrest. "Emotions of so much anger and hate, but relieved."

Sanchez said the two dated for roughly eight months.

De Silva is in federal custody and due to make his first court appearance Tuesday afternoon. The charges he faces are not clear.

He is the only suspect identified as this time, though the investigation is ongoing, Berry told reporters Tuesday afternoon.

"Multiple crime sceneshad been examined, hundreds of hours of surveillance footage had been reviewed, and numerous interviews of potential witnesses had been conducted," Berry said in a Tuesday statement.

Social media footprints were also analyzed, Berry said.

Greenwich Police ask anyone with information about Reyes or her disappearance to call the Greenwich Police Tip Line at (203) 622-3333 or email at Tips@greenwichct.org.

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