International manhunt underway for Navy reservist who allegedly killed wife, stuffed her in freezer

NORFOLK, Va. (TCN) -- The body of a 39-year-old woman reported missing in early February has been found in a kitchen freezer after her husband allegedly killed her, authorities say.

According to the Norfolk Police Department, Lina M. Guerra was reported missing by her family on Feb. 4. Her last known contact with them was Jan. 16, according to People.

WTKR reports her husband, David Varela, 38, flew to Hong Kong on Feb. 5. Varela, an electrician, is reportedly a reservist on active duty with the U.S. Navy and authorities have not been able to reach him since he left the country. 

Guerra’s family, who live in Colombia, reported her missing after not hearing from her for two weeks. Varela reportedly told them she was in jail on shoplifting charges and sent a picture where he appeared to be visiting her in jail, according to WTKR. An investigation revealed Guerra was never charged or arrested for such a crime.

On Feb. 5, officers executing a search warrant at their home found Guerra’s body in the kitchen freezer. An autopsy ruled her death a homicide on Feb. 10, according to the police department. Varela was then charged with first-degree murder and concealing a dead body.

Paola Ramirez, Guerra’s sister-in-law, told WTKR Varela was a jealous husband. Other family members said Varela was violent and would not let Guerra work, go out alone, or have friends.

According to WTKR, the Norfolk Police Department is working with the FBI, NCIS, and Homeland Security to find Varela. The Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi is seeking to extradite Varela back to the United States to face charges.

The New York Post reports emergency disclosure requests to WhatsApp revealed location data pinging in Hong Kong. 

According to NCIS, Varela has no known ties to Hong Kong or China, per the New York Post. Ed Booth, a Navy public affairs officer, said there is concern Varela chose to flee to Hong Kong because its extradition treaty with the United States has been suspended since 2020.

Booth said, “If you needed to buy yourself some time to where law enforcement was not going to be looking for you, this was a way to do it,” according to the New York Post.

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