A gunman suspected of killing two students at Brown University and a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) had been dead for approximately two days before law enforcement discovered his body, an autopsy has concluded.
The Timeline of Violence and a Six-Day Manhunt
Claudio Neves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national and former Brown student, was found deceased from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on Thursday evening at a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire. This ended a six-day, multi-state search. The New Hampshire Attorney General, John M Formella, stated the chief medical examiner confirmed the cause of death as suicide, with the time of death estimated to be around Tuesday, December 16.
The violence began on December 13 when Valente returned to his former university in Providence, Rhode Island. Authorities allege he fired at least 44 rounds from a 9 mm pistol during a study session, killing 19-year-old Ella Cook and 18-year-old Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, and wounding nine other students. Witnesses reported he said almost nothing, with some describing only a strange barking noise.
Two days later, Valente travelled roughly 50 miles to the Boston suburbs, where he fatally shot MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro, a father of three, at his home before vanishing.
Meticulous Planning and a Critical Online Tip
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha revealed on Friday that the suspect had meticulously planned the attacks and took deliberate steps to evade capture. He used internet-based phone services, avoided traditional credit cards, and changed the licence plate on his rental car. Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez said the investigation forced a return to "the old-fashioned way of policing," relying on interviews and reviewing hundreds of video footage pieces.
However, law enforcement has faced criticism for not identifying Valente quickly enough to prevent Professor Loureiro's murder. Crucially, the break in the case came not from federal agencies but from a vigilant Reddit user known only as 'John'.
According to a police affidavit, John had several strange encounters with Valente outside Brown University before the shooting, even confronting him. After police released images of a person of interest, John posted online recognising the individual and suggesting they check a grey Nissan rental car. Urged by other users, he contacted the FBI. This tip, received on December 16, led police to video footage of a Nissan Sentra with Florida plates, allowing them to tap into a city-wide camera network and ultimately identify Valente.
Immigration Status and Political Fallout
Investigators confirmed Valente originally entered the US on an F-1 student visa in 2000 to attend Brown. In 2017, he was granted a 'diversity immigrant visa', a lottery programme for nationals of countries with lower US immigration rates, gaining lawful permanent resident status.
In response to the tragedy, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced on X that, at former President Trump's direction, she is directing US Citizenship and Immigration Services to pause the green card lottery programme that allowed Valente into the country from Portugal.
The investigation remains ongoing, with the ATF comparing ballistics from two firearms found with Valente at the time of his death.
