A Navy reservist accused of killing his wife and hiding her body in a freezer in their Norfolk, Virginia, apartment has been arrested overseas following an international manhunt, according to FBI Director Kash Patel. The suspect, David Varela, 38, is expected to be extradited to the United States to face charges of first-degree murder and concealing a dead body.
The case began when Lina Maria Guerra Echavarria, 39, was reported missing by her brother on February 2. Police discovered her remains inside a freezer at the couple’s home three days later. The Norfolk medical examiner ruled her death a homicide, and authorities swiftly issued arrest warrants for Varela, who had already fled the country by the time the body was found.
Investigators determined that Varela boarded a flight to Hong Kong around the time of the discovery and used emergency disclosure requests to WhatsApp to confirm his location data from Hong Kong. Despite having family in Colombia, police found Varela had no known ties to Hong Kong or China.
FBI Director Patel announced Varela’s capture on Wednesday (April 15), stating via X, “Mr. Varela has been on the run for over two months attempting to avoid prosecution for these heinous crimes, but justice doesn’t forget.”
Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi confirmed that a Red Notice—an international request for cooperation in locating and detaining a suspect—was issued to aid in Varela’s capture due to the lack of an extradition treaty between the United States and Hong Kong.
Patel did not disclose the specific location of the arrest, but Guerra’s family told WAVY that Varela was in San Francisco and awaiting extradition to Virginia.
Family members described the couple’s two-year marriage as violent, with prior incidents of abuse. Paola Ramirez, Guerra’s sister-in-law, said through a translator: “I want to emphasize that there had been violence before from David.” The family also noted that Varela allegedly misled them about Guerra’s disappearance, claiming she was jailed on shoplifting charges, which court records later proved false.
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