In a dramatic turn of events, the suspect in the deadly shooting at Brown University, who later killed an MIT professor, was found dead after police received an anonymous tip about a Reddit post. The breakthrough ended a five-day manhunt that spanned two states.
How a Reddit Post Cracked the Case Wide Open
The investigation into the Brown University shooting on December 13, which left two students dead and nine others wounded, saw its major breakthrough on December 16. Investigators received an anonymous tip pointing them to a specific post on the social media platform Reddit.
The post urged police to look for a grey Nissan with Florida license plates, possibly a rental, spotted around Brown's campus. The user provided meticulous details, noting the car was parked near the Rhode Island Historical Society on Cooke Street. The poster described observing the suspect use a key fob, approach the car, then back away and relock it, behavior they found odd.
"I'm being dead serious. The police need to look into a grey Nissan with Florida plates," the post read. This information, according to Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha, "blew this case wide open."
Police corroborated the tip with other evidence and confirmed the vehicle was a rental from a Boston-based Alamo branch, registered to the suspect.
The Suspect's Violent Spree and Final Hours
The suspect was identified as Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national and former Brown graduate student in physics. His last known address was in Miami.
After the shooting at Brown, Valente fled Rhode Island for Massachusetts. On December 15, he shot and killed Nuno F.G. Loureiro, a 47-year-old physics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), at his home outside Boston. The professor died the following day in the hospital.
Initially, the FBI stated there was no known link between the two incidents. However, investigators later confirmed Valente was responsible for both. Police believe Valente and Professor Loureiro attended the same Portuguese university between 1995 and 2000.
To evade capture after crossing state lines, Valente reportedly replaced the rental car's Florida license plate with one from Maine. Security footage placed him entering an apartment building near Loureiro's Brookline residence on December 15. About an hour later, he was seen entering a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire.
The Investigation Unfolds and Key Witness Comes Forward
For days, authorities faced pressure with few leads. They released blurry security images of a masked man in dark clothing near the Brown campus and later photos of a second individual seen near the person of interest.
This second individual, identified in an affidavit as "John," came forward within an hour of the images being released. John identified himself as the Reddit poster. He told police he first encountered the suspect in a bathroom of the Barus and Holley building at Brown about two hours before the shooting, noting his clothing was inappropriate for the weather.
John described a tense "game of cat and mouse" with the suspect, following him to the Nissan and even exchanging words. "Your car is back there, why are you circling the block?" John asked, to which the suspect repeatedly replied, "Why are you harassing me?"
Another witness, a custodian, reported similar suspicious encounters on November 28 and December 1.
Conclusion and Lingering Questions
Valente's body was discovered inside the Salem storage unit late on Thursday, December 19. An autopsy performed by New Hampshire's chief medical examiner on Friday confirmed he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, with his death estimated to have occurred on Tuesday, December 17.
Providence Police Chief Col. Oscar Perez stated Valente acted alone "as far as we know." U.S. Attorney Leah Foley confirmed rental car and hotel records connected Valente to both shootings.
While the suspect is dead, officials emphasize the investigation continues. "We got 'em," said Ted Docks, special agent in charge of the FBI in Boston. "Even though the suspect was found dead tonight, our work is not done. There are many questions that need to be answered."
Authorities, including Attorney General Neronha, are left grappling with the suspect's motives: Why now? Why Brown? Why these students? Why this classroom? "That is really unknown to us," Neronha conceded.
