Months after a Wellington nurse was found dead along a Palm Beach County roadway, deputies say they have their first major break: a suspect in handcuffs. The arrest, announced Tuesday, marks a turning point in a case that has weighed heavily on the victim’s family and community, bringing a mix of relief and fresh grief for those who knew her.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office identified the man as 38-year-old Rene J. Perez, who investigators say was tracked down in Miami before being taken to the Palm Beach County Jail. Perez is charged with first-degree murder with a deadly weapon and tampering with physical evidence and was set to appear in court Wednesday, according to WPBF. Authorities have not yet shared many specifics about how they located or arrested him.
Investigators say 35-year-old Linda Campitelli was found unresponsive on Oct. 28, 2024, outside a vehicle on the 6100 block of Lyons Road near Wellington and later pronounced dead. Her relatives and friends have remembered her publicly as a devoted mother and a nurse who adored her children, her mother told reporters as the family pleaded for answers, according to WPTV.
Investigation timeline
Deputies first went to the scene on Oct. 28 for a welfare check, and by November the sheriff’s office had ruled Campitelli’s death a homicide. In the months that followed, her family repeatedly appealed to the public for information, asking anyone with even minor details to come forward, earlier coverage by WPBF reported. Throughout, investigators shared little in the way of specifics about the evidence they were gathering or what ultimately tied Perez to the case.
Legal status
Perez is being held at the Palm Beach County Jail on the charges announced by authorities, while the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office reviews the case. Prosecutors will decide whether to move forward with formal indictments as detectives turn over their files. The counts he faces carry some of the most serious penalties under Florida law, and the state is expected to outline its evidence at Perez’s next appearance in court, WPTV reported…