A search is currently on for a Navy reservist who is believed to have escaped to Hong Kong following the discovery of his wife’s body in a freezer at their residence in Virginia.
Lina Guerra, 39, was discovered deceased on February 5 in the freezer of the Norfolk apartment she shared with her husband, David Varela, 28. His family hadn’t heard from him since January 16, which was shortly before his brother reported him missing, as noted by local news.
An autopsy performed by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner on February 10 classified her death as a homicide.
Norfolk Police subsequently charged Varela with first-degree murder, alleging that he attempted to conceal the body to avoid detection.
The murder suspect reportedly did not respond to repeated attempts to contact him, and his superiors described his behavior as erratic.
According to an affidavit obtained by news sources, investigators from several agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI, believe Varela boarded a flight to Hong Kong around February 5.
Additionally, an emergency request for information to WhatsApp indicated his location data pinged from Hong Kong.
While Varela has family ties in Colombia, there are no known connections to Hong Kong or China, agency officials reported.
As the search for Varela continues, Guerra’s family is reeling from her loss. Her aunt, Elizabeth Echavarria, shared that they had met in Florida years ago and got married shortly after.
During the time Guerra was missing, Varela allegedly told her family in Colombia that he had been arrested for shoplifting. He even shared a photo of them together, claiming it was taken during his visit to her in prison, where she supposedly wore an orange jumpsuit.
Guerra’s sister-in-law, Paola Ramirez, mentioned that Varela sent her messages expressing distress, saying he “couldn’t stop crying” and hadn’t eaten for over a day because of his wife’s supposed incarceration.
Reportedly, court records confirm that Guerra has not been charged or convicted of any shoplifting offense.
Ramirez noted that the family had long been concerned about Guerra’s safety, accusing Varela of being violent and controlling, restricting her freedom in various aspects of her life.
“I want to stress that there has been some violence from David before,” Ramirez said.
“He had hit her before, but she kept it to herself to avoid worry. He appeared calm and religious; nobody expected he would act in such a shocking way.”
David Varela has been a part of the Navy since 2007 and has served across six different states, earning multiple awards and medals.
Concerns have arisen regarding Varela’s potential escape to Hong Kong, especially since the U.S. extradition treaty with Hong Kong has been inactive since August 2020, as highlighted by a Navy spokesperson.
“If you were looking to evade law enforcement, that’s a way to buy time,” Booth mentioned, noting the absence of reciprocal extradition treaties.
