An active-duty Navy reservist allegedly killed his wife, then stuffed her body in the freezer of their Norfolk, Virginia home before fleeing to Hong Kong, according to authorities.
Lina Guerra, 39, was reported missing on Feb. 4, according to WTKR. Her husband, David Varela, 38, allegedly killed her, the outlet reported, citing an affidavit from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Varela has been charged with first-degree murder in connection with Guerra’s death, according to WAVY.
Guerra was reported missing by her brother on Feb. 4. After he was unable to contact her for two weeks, and detectives were unable to contact Guerra or Varela, the Norfolk Police Department executed a search warrant at the couple’s residence. Police located the body of an unidentified woman in the freezer at the residence, and preliminary fingerprints indicated the woman was Guerra. (RELATED: Authorities Find Body Of College Student Missing For Days)
Guerra’s cell phone and Varela’s Tesla were at the residence, according to WAVY. Her death was ruled a homicide by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner on Feb. 10, the New York Post reported.
Following the discovery of Guerra’s body, police contacted Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), and the FBI for help. HSI determined Varela took a flight to Hong Kong on Feb. 5, according to the same affidavit. In addition, emergency disclosure requests from WhatsApp showed location data originating in Hong Kong.
Varela allegedly told Guerra’s family, who live in Colombia, South America, that she’d been arrested and imprisoned on shoplifting charges after they reported her missing, WTKR reported. Court records cited by the outlet indicate Guerra was never charged or convicted of shoplifting.
Guerra’s sister-in-law Paola Ramirez spoke to WTKR using a translator, labeling her death as “shocking.”
“I want to emphasize that there had been violence before from David,” Ramirez told WTKR through the translator. “He had hit her previously, but she didn’t tell us because she didn’t want to worry us. He appeared to be very religious, very calm, normal, that’s why this is so shocking; we never imagined he’d do something like this.”
Ramirez also described Guerra as “the pillar of our family.” “She put others above herself. She was very loved and adventurous, hardworking, very humble,” she said.
Besides first-degree murder, Varela has been charged with concealing a dead body, according to police, WTKR reported. There is probable cause to suggest Varela has fled the U.S. to avoid being prosecuted, the affidavit states.
Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi is seeking to extradite Varela to the U.S. to have him face the charges, according to WTKR.
NCIS confirmed Varela is an active-duty Navy reservist with no ties to Hong Kong, WAVY reported. He has not reported for duty, as required.
The Daily Caller contacted the Norfolk Police Department and the U.S. Navy, neither of whom immediately commented on the case.