An autopsy report has revealed a shocking detail in the case of the suspect linked to last week's deadly shooting at Brown University and the killing of an MIT professor. The suspect, identified as 48-year-old Claudio Neves Valente, had been dead for approximately two days when his body was discovered in a New Hampshire storage facility. The New Hampshire Attorney General's office confirmed this finding on Friday.
Timeline of Violence and Discovery
According to authorities, the sequence of events began on Saturday when a gunman opened fire in a Brown University lecture hall. The attack killed two students and wounded nine others during a study session for final exams. The suspect then allegedly traveled to the Boston area, where on Monday night, he fatally shot Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro at his home in Brookline.
The manhunt ended on Thursday night when Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez announced that Neves Valente was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. However, the autopsy determined his actual time of death was Tuesday, the same day Professor Loureiro succumbed to his injuries in a hospital. The exact time of Neves Valente's death was not specified.
Unraveling the Motive and Connection
Investigators are still piecing together a motive for the attacks, which occurred decades after Neves Valente's brief tenure at Brown. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha stated there are still "a lot of unknowns," including why the suspect targeted Brown, those specific students, and that particular classroom.
Authorities confirmed that Claudio Neves Valente was a graduate student at Brown University, studying physics during the 2000-01 academic year before taking a leave of absence. He and Professor Loureiro shared a past, having attended the same academic program at a university in Portugal between 1995 and 2000. While Loureiro graduated and built a renowned career in fusion science, Neves Valente was let go from a temporary student support position at the Lisbon university in 2000.
Neves Valente, a Portuguese national, initially came to the U.S. on a student visa and eventually obtained legal permanent resident status in September 2017. His last known residence was in Miami. Officials noted it is unclear where he was between his 2001 leave from Brown and his 2017 visa status change.
How a Reddit Post Cracked the Case
The investigation saw a major breakthrough thanks to a tip from a vigilant witness, identified only as "John" in court documents. After Providence police released security footage of a person of interest, John recognized the individual and posted his suspicions on the social media forum Reddit. Other users urged him to contact the FBI, which he did.
John reported encountering Neves Valente in a Brown University engineering building bathroom about two hours before the shooting, noting his inappropriate clothing for the weather. This crucial tip led investigators to a Nissan Sentra with Florida license plates. Using Flock Safety street cameras, police tracked the vehicle's movements.
They discovered that after leaving Rhode Island, the suspect placed a Maine license plate over the rental car's original plate. Footage later showed him entering an apartment building near Professor Loureiro's home and, about an hour later, entering the Salem, New Hampshire, storage facility where his body was ultimately found with a satchel and two firearms.
Remembering the Victims
The attacks claimed the lives of three individuals. Professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro, 47, was a distinguished physicist and fusion scientist from Portugal who had led MIT's Plasma Science and Fusion Center since last year. He was working to explain the physics behind solar flares and other astronomical phenomena.
The two Brown University students killed were 19-year-old Ella Cook, a sophomore and vice president of the Brown College Republicans, and 18-year-old freshman MukhammadAziz Umurzokov, who aspired to become a doctor. Of the nine wounded, six were in stable condition and three had been discharged from the hospital as of Thursday.
Authorities confirmed Neves Valente acted alone. The case has drawn significant attention, leading to policy reactions, including a former U.S. President's suspension of the green card lottery program that allowed the suspect to remain in the country.
