Coleman Charged In Kidnapping, Death Of Jassy Correia

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The suspect in the kidnapping and death of Jassy Correia will face charges in Rhode Island, Attorney General Peter Neronha's office said Friday. Providence Police have charged Louis Coleman III, 32, of Providence, with kidnapping, failure to report a death and mutilation of a dead body. A court date has not been set.

Also Friday, Boston Police Commissioner William Gross and Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins gave an update on the case. Rollins said Coleman could face additional charges in Suffolk County as the investigation continues.

"This started in Suffolk County. We're going to see where the evidence leads us," Rollins said. "The U.S. Attorney could potentially bring federal charges as well. We have a lot of options on the table."

Meanwhile, police in other jurisdictions, including Brockton, were looking into possible links between Coleman and other unsolved cases..

Gross and Rollins both applauded the "seamless" effort by local, state and federal law enforcement to track Coleman down.

"We want justice for Jassy," Gross said. "People are working around the clock to try to get answers to this family. I think it speaks to how important this case is to us."

Correia, 23, of Dorchester, was last seen just after midnight Sunday after leaving the Venu Nightclub on Tremont Street in Boston, accompanied by a man police later identified as Coleman. She and Coleman were then seen getting into a red Nissan Altima near Tremont and Herald streets, police said.

""We are not going to play the blame game to family or friends," Gross said. What we want is, we want for people to be aware of your surroundings." said Gross.

Rollins added that the case was not one of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, rather that Correia was "doing what anyone might do" -- celebrating her birthday with her friends.

Coleman was arrested in Delaware Thursday afternoon. Providence Police Chief Hugh Clements said at a press conference that evening that a body was found in a car in Delaware, adding that the case was being treated as a homicide investigation.

Rollins confirmed Friday that the victim was Correia.

"Jassy's body is with the Delaware Medical Examiner's office right now, and the suspect in her death is being held on a fugitive warrant out of Rhode Island," Rollins said.

Police had searched Coleman's Chestnut Street apartment building in Providence during the day on Thursday. They did not say what was found in the apartment, or whether there were any signs that Correia had been there.

Coleman does not fit the typical stereotype for a suspect, Chief Clements said Thursday evening, and was not previously known to police.

According to the Boston Globe, Coleman received a master's degree from Cal State Univerisity, Long Beach. On his personal website, he describes himself as “Developer, Engineer, Physicist,” and he previously worked as a developer on a sleep app before working at Raytheon in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, starting in 2017.

Correia was also a Raytheon employee, working as a systems engineer in Waltham, Massachusetts.

"As this is a criminal investigation we defer any further inquiries to law enforcement. We are cooperating fully with the investigation," said a Raytheon spokesperson.

Police have not released if Correia knew Coleman before the kidnapping occurred.

This is a developing story. Patch will update as more details become available.

READ MORE:

• Jassy Correia Kidnapping: Police ID Rhode Island Man As Suspect
• Jassy Correia: Kidnapping Louis Coleman Arrested In Delaware
• Jassy Correia Missing: Police Searching For Person Of Interest

Additional reporting by staff reporter Jenna Fisher.