Here’s the latest on Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, the 48-year-old man thought to be responsible for a deadly shooting incident involving Brown University and an MIT professor. After an extensive manhunt, police tracked down Valente, who sadly took his own life in a storage unit in New Hampshire.
Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez detailed how local law enforcement played a crucial role in locating Valente. Surveillance video and a crucial tip regarding a suspicious vehicle helped spawn leads. Strong thanks went to an individual who flagged odd behavior, noting, “I’m being dead serious. Police need to look into a grey Nissan with Florida plates, possibly a rental; that was the car he was driving.” This type of vigilant citizen reporting proved invaluable.
Investigators utilized license-plate reader technology to trace the suspect’s movements back to a car rental agency in Massachusetts. Discovering the rental agreement under Valente’s name and matching surveillance footage helped establish vital connections between Valente and the crime scene.
Soon after, law enforcement pursued a search warrant, leading them to the storage unit in Salem, where Valente’s body was tragically discovered. Reports confirm that financial records and video connected him to both the cases in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
Officials quickly identified Valente as a former Brown grad, originally from Portugal, with his last address listed in Miami, Florida. Reports indicate he took his own life on Thursday evening, and tragically, he was found with a bag containing two firearms. Evidence from his vehicle tied directly back to the crime scene in Providence.
According to statements from Portugal’s Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), Valente was a part of their physics engineering program from 1995 to 2000, coinciding with the timeline of the late MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro.
Previous official notices from Portugal mentioned Valente’s brief tenure as a teaching assistant and subsequent dismissal. Regarding his time at Brown, officials confirmed he enrolled as a graduate student from fall 2000 until spring 2001 but took a leave before formally withdrawing in 2003.
Brown University President Christina Paxson stated: “He was not a current student, was not an employee, and did not receive a degree from the University. He attended for only three semesters as a graduate student.” During those semesters, Valente focused solely on physics, primarily in the Barus & Holley building. University records reveal he had no active relations with Brown for over twenty years.
Police clarified the shooter acted alone in this incident, and there are currently no signs indicating other planned attacks. Investigators have not released any writings linked to Valente that might help clarify his motives.
Continuing investigations involve forensic teams meticulously analyzing the New Hampshire finds, particularly the firearms, and establishing comparisons against ballistic and DNA results from the initial crime scene in Providence.
Paxson also pointed out that a review is ongoing regarding how Valente gained access to the building, noting its doors were unlocked due to ongoing exams on that fateful day. Reassessing security measures is now high on the institutional agenda moving forward.
The records show Valente acquired his green card in April 2017, obtaining status through the diversity visa lottery program. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem mentioned halting the program’s funding under orders from President Trump.
This diversity visa lottery program allows winning applicants from countries with low immigration rates into the U.S. to acquire immigrant visas. While participants are randomly chosen, they must still contend with a substantial application process requiring documentation, interviews, and verified qualifications.
Investigators efficiently identified Valente late Wednesday night but faced a tough decision on releasing his name to the public. They worried this could spook him leading to a hasty escape or further escalation. Confusion still surrounds the actual timing of his death; although he logged into the storage facility, he was nowhere to be found leaving the place.
Federal agents secured the site, and an autopsy will hopefully shed light on when exactly Valente passed. Remaining complications are still very much part of the investigation.
Reporting by ABC News contributors Armando Garcia and Christopher Looft.
