The body of a Pennsylvania woman was found buried in a shallow grave in the woods on Thursday and police are now searching for her ex-boyfriend.
According to the Philadelphia Police DepartmentMelody Rivera, 29, was last seen in the Summerdale section of the city on Halloween and was considered an endangered person at the time.
Maritza Garcia, Rivera’s mother, told NBC affiliate WCAU that she last spoke to her daughter via FaceTime on the night of October 31 and reported her missing the next day.
An anonymous police source told the Philadelphia Inquirer that Rivera was driving with her friend when Rivera’s ex, 29-year-old Geovanni Otero, attacked them. The source said Otero threw Rivera’s girlfriend out of the car and drove away with Rivera.
The car was found outside a junkyard days after the alleged kidnapping, according to a Facebook post from one of Rivera’s relatives.
The police source also told the investigator that Otero was on parole at the time Rivera disappeared and that his GPS ankle monitor led detectives to Rivera’s body, which was covered in twigs and leaves.
Philadelphia Police Department Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore confirmed at a news conference Friday that Rivera’s body was found in a shallow grave in the woods. according to ABC affiliate WPVI.
He added that police had been made aware that Otero had a dispute with Rivera before she went missing, and that is why authorities are looking for him.
Rivera’s body was taken to the medical examiner’s office to determine the cause of death, a spokesperson for the Philadelphia Police Department told JS.
The spokesperson confirmed to JS that Otero is considered a person of interest as of Saturday. He has an arrest warrant out for a parole violation unrelated to Rivera’s case.
In a statement announcing Rivera’s death on Facebook, her sister described her sibling as a devoted mother who left behind a daughter.
“For six painful days we searched for her, hoping for a miracle,” the statement said. “Tragically, Melody was found in a shallow grave in a local park, taken from us far too soon.”