Killing of Gaithersburg Teen Caught on Cell Phone Camera, Says Search Warrant: Report

GAITHERSBURG, MD — Police detectives who are investigating the gang-related killing of a 15-year-old girl from Gaithersburg, MD, have found evidence that the incident was recorded on a cellphone camera, according to a media report.

The information is laid out in a search warrant affidavit stemming from the abduction and murder case of Damaris Alexandra Reyes Rivas, WTTG-TV Channel 5 reported Monday. Her remains were found Feb. 11 in an industrial park in Springfield.

A total of 10 people have been charged in the case, including five people - two adults and three juveniles - who have been charged with her murder.

The affidavit also states that one of the victim's alleged killers was wearing a court-ordered GPS tracking device at the time of the murder, Channel 5 reported. The juvenile told police he was associated with the gang MS-13 and admitted he was involved in the abduction of Reyes.

The case is part of a spike in gang activity in the region, according to law enforcement authorities. Last week, a search team led by the Fairfax County police found two sets of human remains in Holmes Run Park, near Bailey's Crossroads.

In a news conference at the scene Friday, Col. Edwin Roessler Jr., chief of the Fairfax County Police Department, said detectives began searching the park after receiving a tip. "I can assure you this is gang activity," he said.

In a tweet Monday, the Fairfax County police said the remains may not be identified until March 17.

In the Reyes case, the search warrant affidavit says the cell phone recording is date stamped Jan. 8 and shows “the interrogation and taunting of the victim by several males," Channel 5 reported.

The affidavit also alleges that Reyes was killed in retaliation for the gang-related murder of Christian Sosa Rivas, 21, whose body was found Jan. 12 on the banks of the Potomac River in Dumfries, Channel 5 reported.

Roessler, the police chief, said evidence suggests that the Gaithersburg teen had been murdered in Lake Accotink Park in Springfield.

The five people charged in the murder of Damaris Alexandra Reyes Rivas include:

• Jose Ivan Castillo Rivas, 18, 5800 block of Brunswick Street, Springfield
• Wilmer A. Sanchez Serrano, 21, of no fixed address
• A 17-year-old Alexandria-area girl
• Two 17-year-old boys; one of Annandale, the other of Springfield

Reporting by Patch Editor Chris Gaudet

Image: Damaris Alexandra Reyes Rivas (Fairfax County Police/Montgomery County, MD, Police)