Claudio Neves Valente Obituary, Death; – The individual suspected of the mass shooting at Brown University and the murder of a professor from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has been discovered deceased, according to authorities.
During a news conference held on Thursday evening, officials confirmed that the suspect was found dead at a storage facility located in Salem, New Hampshire, due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound. It is still uncertain how long the suspect had been at the storage facility.
Authorities identified the suspect as 48-year-old Claudio Neves Valente, who had a last known address in Miami, Florida. Officials stated that the suspect had been traveling throughout New England since October.
Law enforcement indicated that Neves Valente was a former student at Brown University and holds Portuguese nationality.
Brown University President Christina Paxson noted that he was enrolled at Brown from the fall semester of 2000 until the spring semester of 2001. Paxson mentioned that Neves Valente was part of a doctoral program but later withdrew. It was reported that he was only taking physics classes during his time at the university.
On Wednesday, investigators released new surveillance footage in an effort to identify an individual seen “in proximity” to the suspect. Investigators stated that within an hour of releasing the footage, the individual came forward and assisted them in identifying the suspect.
According to an affidavit, the individual informed investigators that he encountered the suspect inside a bathroom on the ground floor of the Barus and Holley building. He reported making eye contact with the suspect multiple times before the latter exited the building and entered the parking lot. The individual followed the suspect upon seeing him head up Manning Street.
Law enforcement reported that the individual provided investigators with details regarding the suspect’s appearance and the vehicle he was driving: a gray sedan with a Florida license plate.
Officials also mentioned receiving another report from a different individual on Wednesday, concerning a gray sedan with a Florida license plate that was described as moving “unusually slow.”
After reviewing street cameras, authorities concluded the vehicle, a Nissan Sentra, was rented from Alamo Rent A Car in downtown Boston by Neves Valente.
Surveillance video from Alamo Rent A Car showed Neves Valente wearing the same clothes seen in the photos police released of the person of interest.
Authorities said they did not release the suspect’s name in hopes of catching him if he tried to return the car. The suspect was said to have changed the license plate on the rental car, making it more difficult to track down. That car was eventually found in New Hampshire.
According to officials, financial records led investigators to the Salem storage unit on Hampshire Road, where Neves Valente was found dead. His time of death is unknown. Police said the suspect was found with the same satchel he was seen wearing in the photo released to the public earlier this week of a person of interest in the Brown University shooting, which left two students dead — sophomore Ella Cook and freshman Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokow — and nine others wounded.
In a separate press conference held by the United States attorney for the District of Massachusetts, Leah B. Foley, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, officials said Neves Valente drove to the Salem storage facility after killing MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro on Monday.
Officials said there is no evidence to suggest the suspect was working with anyone, and they are not aware of any criminal record he had in the U.S.
Authorities said Neves Valente attended the same academic program as Loureiro from 1995 through 2000, leading them to believe Loureiro was an intended target for Neves Valente.
Loureiro was an MIT faculty member in the departments of Nuclear Science & Engineering and Physics, as well as the director of MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center.
Regarding the Brown University shooting, police said there is no indication Neves Valente knew any Brown students who were in the room where the shooting happened.
Officials are continuing to process evidence and search for answers regarding the motive behind the attacks.
