Arrest Made in Case of Woman Found Dead in Suitcase

The Associated Press

An arrest has been made been made in the murder of a 24-year-old woman whose body was found stuffed inside a suitcase in a wooded area in Connecticut, police said Tuesday.

Greenwich police on Tuesday identified the man in the killing of Valerie Reyes as Javier DeSilva, who was arrested in Queens on Monday.

Investigators "zeroed in" on DeSilva after he allegedly used Reyes' ATM card to withdraw cash multiple times after her death, Capt. Robert Berry said.

DeSilva is scheduled to make an initial court appearance in a federal court in New York on Tuesday. It was not clear if he has a lawyer.

"We are confident that the pursuit of justice for Valerie will be successful and we continue to work with the family to provide closure to this tragedy," Berry said in a written statement.

Reyes, of New Rochelle, New York, was reported missing on Jan. 30 when she did not show up for work at a bookstore. Officials said her hands and feet were bound when her body was found by highway workers. Autopsy results from the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner are still pending.

Police say they have examined hundreds of hours of surveillance footage in the case and interviewed several potential witnesses.

Reyes had worked at a Barnes & Noble store in Eastchester, New York, since it opened 2 1/2 years ago, according to the bookstore chain.