Reys wife, Allison, who obviously has devoted a lot of the time and attention to her pursuit of what really happened to Rey over all these years, its always been her theory that this is the kind of case that somewhere, someones going to pry open a lid to something. The FBI announced a $100,000 reward. Stephen Janis: But the one thing we do have, or dont, is not a single person who said that he was contemplating suicide, angry, or distraught. Regularly monitoring our publications social media or website can potentially flag you as a source. 494, This story has been shared 393 times. Now, an amateur sleuth and movie buff has a hunch about the note and Riveras death. There's a lot that's strange about this story, includinga mysterious note he wrote (opens in new tab)the day he died that seemed to point to Freemasonry;theories have abounded (opens in new tab)about what may have happened to him. So its a complicated case. The police concluded Rey killed himself and shut down the investigation, but his family said it was simply impossible that Rey killed himself. Rey was wearing flip flops or barefoot and would have had a maximum run up of just over 15 feet or 5 meters (2.5 seconds). Did 'The Mandalorian' Really Drop an F-Bomb? Did 'Succession' Just Confirm Shiv is Pregnant? Stephen Janis: Thats what it appears. The first episode of the new season, "Mystery on the Rooftop," is one of the most talked-about installments so far, delving into the strange and tragic 2006 death of Ray Rivera, whose body was . Although her reporting focuses on the criminal justice system and government accountability, she has provided on the ground coverage of presidential primaries and elections as well as local and state campaigns. Rivera, who is the subject of Episode 1 of NetflixsUnsolved Mysteriesreboot, Mystery on The Rooftop, was found dead in a hotel room, but left a note behind before he went missing. This story has been shared 8,387 times. Welcome back to the Land of the Unsolved. The 32-year-old's body was found in the Belvedere Hotel, and police believe he committed suicide by jumping off the roof. These are normally things that are included. 1,311, This story has been shared 1,267 times. After rushing from his home, Rey Rivera disappears. She told police that Rivera was unusually anxious when their home alarm had gone off and that an encounter with an unknown man at the park left her husband visibly distraught. Theres not as many people just standing around. 1. I have notes from when he disappeared, I have notes from when he was found, I have notes from a year later when we did the story, and then I have notes from when the episode aired in 2020 which filled in some of the blanks. At 9:30pm, Allison phones her co-worker, Claudia, who is staying at the couple's home. Taya Graham: Welcome to the Land of the Unsolved. His death was . Why would a police department want to close that investigation so quickly? Return Date, Season 5, Episode 9 Streaming Info, 'Kimmel Live' Star Guillermo Apologizes After His Rescue Dogs Were Surrendered To A Local Shelter. He wasnt in Baltimore all that long before he met his demise here. "The body of . Natasha Ishak is a staff writer at All That's Interesting. Instead it marked the beginning of a story of a young man whose death still remains shrouded in mystery. Theres not as much traffic there. [17] Police would soon step back from their investigation into the case after ruling Rivera's death as a probable suicide.[18]. On May 16, 2006, he left his home in a hurry. (Photo courtesy: Kathleen Jones). Its ironic, because he was terrified of heights.. Jayne Miller: That we know of. #544. So its like, okay, well thats what happened. Jayne Miller: And it has elements of it that cause questions to be asked and raise suspicion about things that we dont have firm answers to. Rivera was also described as the kind of person who wouldnt take off without telling his wife and loved ones but he did. They staged a killing and staged a suicide and made it convincing enough to fool the Baltimore Police Department. Roughly a week later, his body was found in the second floor concourse of Baltimores historic Belvedere hotel. Stephen Janis: But youre right, youre right that those two very simple ideas evolve and branch off into very complex reasons. A post shared by Unsolved Mysteries (@officialunsolvedmysteries) (opens in new tab). In fact, security cameras that surveilled the staircase that led to the roof had been erased on the night he died. Netflix owes us answers after that ending. Jayne Miller: Exactly. Netflix. This involves an extraordinary amount of trauma and some injury that has been questioned about whether it really would be indicative of a fall. DO access SecureDrop on a network not associated with you, like the wifi at a library or cafe. In 2021, new theories about the case emerged in a new investigation[19] carried out by the forensic expert, Miryam Moya, which invalidates the theory of suicide, focusing on the hit-and-run as a possible cause of death. Carmine Galante Had A Mental Age Of 14 And Was The King Of Heroin, Inside The Death Of Aaron Hernandez And Why The Disgraced NFL Star Killed Himself, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. She doesn't think much of it now. Stephen Janis: Someone said, his brother Angel had told me hes six-foot-five, hes not going to be inconspicuous. Having plunged through the roof of the room, his corpse had been lying there for days. We never accept cash from the corporations we're trying to fight and we never hide our content behind restrictive pay walls. Do NOT access SecureDrop on your home network. Theres nothing in the file that indicates that. The last person known to see him alive was Claudia, his wifes work colleague who was staying over as a houseguest. But yeah, I think that would be accurate. Its pretty eerie. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. This is not a man that wanted to leave. And thats what people expect in homicide. Stephen Janis: I would totally agree with that. It just seemed odd at the time that And there are pictures in the investigative file of, I think it was a flip flop, the cell phone, and where they were on the roof of that meeting room. So we know that it was there. There is a possibility of what may have happened in the parking garage. admitted there were really bizarre elements. And with the release of a new season of Unsolved Mysteries, we thought it would be timely to revisit the latest evidence and where the case stands. And after that, were not really going to be curious about any other aspect of the case. The finding was so puzzling that investigators sent the letter to the FBI. What would be a possible motive for wanting to rule this as suicide, closing out the case so fast? DO access SecureDrop on a network not associated with you, like the wifi at a library or cafe. His wife Allison (right) said the newlyweds had planned to start anew back in Los Angeles. Dis friends have said she referred to the doctor as the love of her life.. And this is a person who analyzed accident scenes and just said she thought it was much more like he got hit by a car. window.mc4wp = window.mc4wp || { Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, In fact, the FBI ruled at the time, their opinion at the time was that it was not a suicide note. I cant imagine my life without him. View Source Share Save to Suggest Edits Memorial Photos Flowers Memorials Region Allison Jones Rivera Reported Her Husband Rey Missing On May 17, 2006. photos from the . This doesnt sound like a man who was suicidal, but it doesnt necessarily sound like a man who has enemies. Couple Says They Received Death Threats, Love Is Blind Reunion Fail Leads to Finger-Pointing at Netflix: Report. And this isnt your everyday investigation, no question about it. Taya Graham: And that is the point of this podcast, because unsolved killings represent more than just statistics; Its a psychic toll of stories untold that infects an entire community, the final violent moments of a victims life that remain shrouded in mystery. In Unsolved Mysteries, Rivera's wife, Allison, reveals that she found a bizarrenote by her husband's computer after his death, and the FBI laterdetermined that the writing wasn't suicidal in nature. } And we dont know. Youll definitely want to stick around for this one. Signal (signal.org) is a free, open-source messaging application that encrypts all communications end-to-end. Is there anything at that scene that stands out to you as being unusual? There doesnt appear to be anything in the information that was gathered in the week he was missing by detectives that were working a missing persons case. Katherines a Boston-based contributor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestylefrom Clueless to Everlane to news about Lizzo. 637, This story has been shared 496 times. Do NOT access SecureDrop on your employers network. The Real News journalists Taya Graham and Stephen Janis have previously covered Riveras death, asking why his injuries were more consistent with being struck by a car instead of falling from a rooftop, as the discovery of his body suggested, Taya and Stephen return with Jayne Miller to break down the latest evidence in Rey Riveras death. [13], Rivera's eyeglasses and phone were found relatively intact on the lower roof near the hole. Answer: Police say that Rey Rivera died by suicide, but his family has their doubts. Stephen Janis: Now the other thing missing from the files that I find quite annoying, that is generally in homicide files, because we review them, are statements, like statements from the people who found the hole in the roof. And theyre not the only ones. Sometime around 6 pm, Rey took a call, then left the house in a hurry. His death was ruled a suicide, but investigators, as well as Rivera's family, make clear in the episode that the unusual features of the case call that into question. One espsiode is about Rey Rivera's mysterious death at the Belvedere Hotel in Mt. But as an investigative reporter who has worked in one of the most violent cities in the country for nearly 15 years, I can tell you this is not true. Then, on May 23, Allisons car was discovered at a parking lot in Mount Vernon. Does anyone know where his home featured in the documentary is located? Find out more about how we use your personal data in our privacy policy and cookie policy. Interviewees reveal thatRivera received a phone call fromStansberry & Associates on the evening in question, and the location of hisbody suggests that a suicide jump would've required a running start. ); Rey Omar Rivera was born on June 10, 1973, to Angel and Maria Rivera. We dont know what that Because we dont have anybody that is filling in that blank. Police Accountability Report, hosted by Taya Graham and Stephen Janis, is a weekly show that seeks to expose and hold to account one of the most powerful institutions in this countrythe police. He is. And they were In fact, I think the last thing that I found notes on in the file was at the end of June of 2006 when they interviewed Reys former friend and person he came here to work with, and met with that person and a lawyer. The show jumped to number one in the US partly because of the story we will be exploring today: the death of Rey Rivera. And today we are going to be discussing a case that made national headlines several years ago after it became the subject of Netflixs reboot of Unsolved Mysteries. So it really, I think that, I guess thats why people are so obsessed with this case, because the mystery is so confounding. Publicado el sbado, 1 de abril de 2023 . But did Rey Rivera really take his own life? Theories around the Netflix Unsolved Mysteries case", "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Belvedere Hotel", "What happened to Rey Rivera a in Netflix's Unsolved Mysteries? We see that with his flip flop, cell phone, sunglasses case, it could almost appear to be staged, you know that Rey was living his best life. But What Really Happened? Jayne Miller: Well, the parking garage is literally attached to the building, the Belvedere building. So its significant that the parking garage is attached to the building. After Rivera vanished and was found dead in Baltimores Belvedere Hotel in 2006, his wife discovered a note tucked away that Rivera had left at home. The 2020 Netflix reboot of Unsolved Mysteries brought international attention to Riveras mysterious death. Photo: Netflix One Unsolved Mysteries viewer may have cracked a major clue in the case of Rey Rivera. So the Belvedere Hotel is an old building and it had this room that had been added on much later and it was an abandoned meeting room or ballroom or whatever. Wouldnt the homicide detectives have asked them, what made you decide to go look at the hole in the I think thats a reasonable question. A post shared by Unsolved Mysteries (@officialunsolvedmysteries). Jayne Miller: We do know, however, that his car was in that parking lot the next morning. Stream It Or Skip It: 'Doctor Cha' on Netflix, a Housewife-No-More Medical Drama Starring Uhm Jung-hwa, Stream It Or Skip It: 'Boom! This isnt a gunshot victim, which obviously Baltimore has more than its share of gunshot victims. Her research has been published in the book Rey Rivera, Suicide or Homicide?. Stephen Janis: Yeah. And look, this had all the markings to be what they call a red ball case. Porter Stansberry is currently 50 years old, and hasn't publicly commented about Unsolved Mysteries. Even AOC Can't Believe Netflix Crashed During 'Love Is Blind' Live Reunion, 'Succession' Season 4 Episode 4 Recap: "Honeymoon States". He didnt tell . For days family and friends searched frantically for him, but to no avail. He wasnt running some offshore company. NY 10036. To protect your anonymity when using SecureDrop, it is essential that you do not use a network or device that can easily be traced back to your real identity. So the idea that Rey could suddenly just walk in the front and no one sees him is hard to believe compared to someone going down into that basement. 3' Now On Sale. At the time of his death, Rivera had been working for his longtime friend, Stansberry, the founder ofStansberry & Associates Investment Research (now known as Stansberry Research). We dont know. There was no note left. Rivera had no history of mental illness or sudden shock. So I wanted to know, in this investigation, there are a lot of details that just dont seem to add up. But it was originally a hotel and it had retail spaces on its ground floor and on its first floor. Immediately, I thought: OF COURSE! We know he went there because . Rivera left behind a cryptic note that the FBI ruled was not a suicide note. There is one big scene at the end of the movie where the main character jumped off the roof (!) No tool can absolutely guarantee your security or anonymity. Stephen Janis: From everything we can tell, just so people understand, homicide has this Lotus Notes program from the 90s, but they put in daily reports of what they do. You walk through. He was reportedly terrified in the days leading up to his death, according to his wife, but wouldn't confide in her about what was bothering him. Drew Barrymore Tells Brooke Shields She Was "Confused" About Sexuality Because "My Mom Went and Dated My Boyfriends", 'Love Is Blind' Star Kwame Appiah Accused of Hiring "A Random Ghanaian Woman" To Play His Sister, Ben Affleck Dishes on Matt Damon's Filthy Living Habits, Says Damon Went "Weeks" Without Throwing Away Garbage. Thats exactly right. So theres a lot of traffic of people coming in and out. A new theory suggests that he was somehow replicating the aforementioned movie that was listed in an alleged suicide note. Oh, he came off the side of the building, because he went through the roof. More:Unsolved Mysteries: Rey Rivera Helicopter Theory Explained. About a week later, he was found dead under strange circumstances at Baltimore's historic Belvedere Hotel and the mystery remains unsolved to this day. Heres When It Returns, Sunny Hostin Suggests First Lady Jill Biden Has "Racial Blindspots" and "Unconscious Bias" on 'The View', 'Yellowjackets' Season 2 Episode 4 Recap: The Hunger Game, New Movies & Shows To Watch This Weekend: 'Barry' Season 4 on HBO + More, Melanie Lynskey Claims 'Win Win' Director Cut Scenes Because She Had "Too Much Chemistry" With Paul Giamatti, 'Yellowjackets' Season 2 Episode 3 Recap: Play Misty for Me, 'Mandalorian' Actor Warns Season 3 Finale May "Hurt Too Much". No tool can absolutely guarantee your security or anonymity. Burroughs High School in Burbank, California, where Rey Rivera was a popular aquatics coach. And the way he parked his car in the parking lot where his car was found suggests that he parked in a hurry. rey rivera crime scene photos. The body of Rey Rivera was found on May 24, 2006, inside the historic Belvedere Hotel in the Mount Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. We, Yahoo, are part of the Yahoo family of brands. Two days after "Mystery on the Rooftop" premiered, The Baltimore Sun published an article with quotesfrom Stansberry that aren't cited in Unsolved Mysteries. The cryptic letter pointed to another weird detail about Rey Riveras circumstances: his growing interest in the Free Masons. That is, through high tech forensics, moral resolve, or simply the near mythic competence of American law enforcement, killers are ultimately sent to jail. Rivera was found dead at Belvedere Hotel in Baltimore in 2006 about a week after . His wife, Allison Rivera, widowed just six months into their marriage, strongly believes that Rey didn't kill himself. But those who were closest to him still seek answers to his death. Who Is Hasnat Khan, Princess Dianas Boyfriend on Season 5 of The Crown? But the other thing that happened, which happened as a result of that episode, was I received some information that I thought was real information, not speculation, not somebody from afar saying, oh, this is what probably happened. So the police wanted to close this as suicide literally as soon as his body was found. That hole has definitely taken any attention off other ways that this could have happened in other , Jayne Miller: Well, because what the hole does is that it provides an answer, or a possible answer. So from a media perspective, the minute that there is the specter of suicide over a case, media coverage stops, media doesnt cover suicides. He left driving his wifes car only to come back briefly and run out again, leaving the lights and the computer on in his office. Jayne Miller: Youre right. Rivera's story is also explored in the book An Unexplained Death: The True Story of a Body at the Belvedere by Mikita . Were not Because theres not even anything from getting a random phone call or anything. One Unsolved Mysteries viewer may have cracked a major clue in the case of Rey Rivera. Yes, there was a hole in the roof where Reys body was found, but there was not a single witness who placed him in the hotel the night of his death. The 50-minute episode raised significant suspicions of key personnel, and essentially proved the official story - that Rey died by suicide - as false. At the time of his disappearance, Rivera was a 32-year-old finance writer for The Oxford Club as a video contractor. You make a good point. His final words included references to the Free Masons, film director Stanley Kubrick, and countless movies that the aspiring screenwriter was touched by. [5] Although the event was ruled a probable suicide by the Baltimore Police Department, the circumstances of Rivera's death are mysterious and disputed. My name is Taya Graham. And I think , Jayne Miller: Well, the biggest question is why did he go there? Despite the strange details of his case, the police and some amateur sleuths remain unmoved from the investigations conclusion that Rey Rivera committed suicide. At the time of his death, Rivera had been working for his longtime friend, Stansberry, the founder of Stansberry & Associates Investment Research (now known as Stansberry Research). And so I think we know that he didnt drive around Baltimore for three or four days, but of course we dont know exactly where he went when he ran out of the house. She finally called Claudia at 10 p.m. to ask about her husband, but Claudia said she hadnt seen him since he had left earlier that evening. Theory one: Rivera's note was linked to David Fincher's The Game. Ray Riveras missing person poster offered a $5,000 reward for any tips on his whereabouts. Hide our content behind restrictive pay walls the corporations we 're trying to and! 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