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Suspect in Brown University and MIT Shootings Died by Suicide, Authorities Confirm
Investigators have confirmed that Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, the 48-year-old suspect in the deadly Brown University shooting and the killing of an MIT professor, died by suicide days before his body was discovered in a New Hampshire storage unit. The revelation comes as authorities continue to search for a motive behind the shocking attacks.
New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella announced Friday that an autopsy performed by the New Hampshire Department of Justice Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed Neves Valente died from a gunshot wound to the head, with the manner of death ruled a suicide.
Forensic evidence and investigative information suggest he died on Tuesday, December 16th. His body was found in a Salem, New Hampshire, storage facility two days later, on Thursday evening.
Neves Valente was publicly identified by Providence police as the suspect in the December 13th shooting at Brown University, which tragically claimed the lives of two students, Ella Cook and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, and wounded nine others during a finals week study session at the Barus & Holley Engineering Building. Authorities later linked him to the December 15th fatal shooting of MIT nuclear science professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro, who was found shot at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Federal investigators recovered two 9mm pistols near Neves Valente’s body in New Hampshire. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Boston office, in collaboration with the FBI and the Connecticut State Police forensic laboratory, positively matched one firearm to the Brown University shooting and the second to Professor Loureiro’s murder.
According to Brown University President Christina Paxson, Neves Valente was a Portuguese national and a former Brown student who studied physics from the fall of 2000 to the spring of 2001, ultimately withdrawing from the program in 2003. He had no recent affiliation with the university at the time of the campus shooting.
Authorities stated that Neves Valente acted alone in both attacks. The discovery of his body followed an extensive investigation that included canvassing surveillance video, releasing images of a person of interest, and initially questioning another individual who was later ruled out.
While the immediate cause of death has been determined, investigators are still actively examining Neves Valente’s recent movements, including tracing credit card transactions and exploring his last known residence in Florida. As of now, no writings or documents have been found that clearly indicate a motive for the shootings, leaving authorities to continue their search for answers in this tragic series of events.