Suspect Charged In Reyes Kidnapping Death: UPDATE

A Queens man faces life in prison or the death penalty after being charged in the kidnapping and death of a 24-year-old New Rochelle woman. Geoffrey S. Berman, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said Tuesday that Javier Enrique Da Silva Rojas, 24, of Flushing, was charged with kidnapping Valerie Reyes and unlawfully taking her to Greenwich, Connecticut.

He was arrested in Flushing Monday and was presented in White Plains federal court Tuesday.

Berman said Da Silva was charged with committing a gruesome kidnapping that resulted in Reyes' death.

"Da Silva will need to answer for his alleged action in court," he said.

According to the allegations in the complaint unsealed in court, around Jan. 30, Reyes was reported missing to the New Rochelle Police Department by her mother, father and boyfriend. A few days later, on Feb. 5, her body was found in a suitcase on the side of a road in Greenwich, Connecticut.

Da Silva is charged with one count of kidnapping resulting in death, which carries a sentence of death or life in prison, Berman said.

Original article, 3:29 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019:

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The suspect arrested in connection with the killing of 24-year-old New Rochelle resident Valerie Reyes, whose body was discovered in a suitcase along a road in Greenwich last week, is in federal custody. He will be prosecuted by attorneys from the Southern District of New York, according to Greenwich police.

The identity of the suspect has not been released, but the Journal News said New Rochelle police identified the suspect as Queens resident Javier DeSilva, an ex-boyfriend of Reyes.

DeSilva was apprehended in Queens Monday night, and during a press conference Tuesday, Greenwich Police Capt. Robert Berry said Reyes' family has been told of the arrest.

"The suspect has admitted a role in Valerie's death," said Berry. He declined to elaborate on what that role may have been or whether additional arrests are expected. "The investigation is continuing."

SEE ALSO: Services Set For Valerie Reyes, 24, Of New Rochelle

Berry declined to say whether police believe the killing took in Greenwich or in New York, but a major break in the case occurred after the suspect allegedly used Reyes' ATM card to obtain cash.

Reyes' body was discovered on the morning of Feb. 5 in a wooded area just off Glenville Road, north of Stillman Lane in Greenwich. Berry said that the suspect used the card sometime after police believe Reyes was already deceased.

Because of the potentially complex nature of the case, which appears to have taken place in two states, Greenwich and New Rochelle police referred it the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Federal prosecutors will not have jurisdictional issues from the two-state investigation.

"New Rochelle police detectives, accompanied by Greenwich police detectives, arrested a suspect in New York who had fraudulently used the ATM card of homicide victim Valerie Reyes," said Berry earlier on Tuesday. "The arrested individual is also believed to be involved in the death of Valerie. Additional information on the suspect and charges will be released by the New Rochelle Police Department. 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 added that detectives combed "multiple crime scenes," and examined "hundreds of hours of surveillance footage" during the investigation. Detectives also interviewed numerous potential witnesses, in addition to extensively reviewing "social media footprints and records from a variety of sources."

Reyes had been reported as missing a few days before to New Rochelle Police by her family.

The results of an autopsy by the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner are still pending. In addition to New Rochelle police, Greenwich police detectives also worked collaboratively on the case with the Westchester County Forensics Investigation unit and other law enforcement agencies.

"We are asking the public for any information they may possess concerning Valerie and/or her disappearance," Berry added. "Information may be left at the Greenwich Police Tip Line at 203-622-3333 and email at Tips@greenwichct.org."

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Written by Alfred Branch/Patch Staff, with additional reporting by Michael Woyton/Patch Staff.

Photo: Greenwich Police Capt. Robert Berry with some of the Greenwich police detectives who investigated the case at a press conference Tuesday. Photo credit: Alfred Branch/Patch Staff.