A Navy reservist accused of killing his wife in Virginia and hiding her body in a freezer has been arrested overseas after a weeks-long international manhunt, federal authorities confirmed.
David Varela, 38, was taken into custody abroad, FBI Director Kash Patel announced Wednesday. Varela had been wanted in connection with the death of his wife, Lina M. Guerra Echavarria, 39, whose body was discovered inside a freezer in the couple’s Norfolk home in early February.
Though he did not disclose the exact location of Varela’s arrest, investors believe he fled to Hong Kong, despite having no known ties to China. Varela will be extradited back to the U.S. to face charges.
“Mr. Varela has been on the run for over two months attempting to avoid prosecution for these heinous crimes, but justice doesn’t forget,” Patel said on X.
Guerra was reported missing by her brother on February 2, after two weeks without hearing from her. Three days later, investigators conducting a welfare check found her body in the kitchen freezer. By the time her body was discovered, Varela had already left the U.S. Investigators believe he left the country on or around the same day the body was found.
Detectives were unable to contact Varela, an active-duty Navy reservist whose supervisor said it was unusual for him to be unresponsive, as the investigation into his wife’s death unfolded. Authorities in Virginia issued warrants charging him with first-degree murder and concealment of a body, and federal investigators later tracked him to Hong Kong using flight records and WhatsApp location data obtained through emergency disclosure requests.
An autopsy later ruled Guerra’s death a homicide, and authorities charged Varela with first-degree murder and concealment of a body.
Family members of Guerra, who lived in Colombia, alleged that Varela had a history of controlling and abusive behavior, accusing him of restricting Guerra’s ability to work, study, socialize or go out alone. They also said he misled them about her disappearance, falsely claiming she had been jailed for shoplifting.
“I want to emphasize that there had been violence before from David,” Guerra’s sister-in-law, Paola Ramirez, told WKRC through a translator. “He had hit her previously, but she didn’t tell us because she didn’t want to worry us. He appeared to be very religious, very calm, normal. That’s why this is so shocking. We never imagined he’d do something like this.”
A woman who says she encountered Varela in Hong Kong also told the local news outlet that he tried to ask her out while on the run.
“I was in Hong Kong with my friends. We met this man while waiting in line at an attraction,” the woman said through a translator. “He introduced himself as David and said he was looking for a Russian wife.”
