David Varela, a U.S. Navy reservist accused of killing his wife and hiding her body in their Norfolk, Virginia, apartment freezer, has been arrested overseas after a months-long manhunt. FBI Director Kash Patel announced the capture on Wednesday. Authorities plan to extradite Varela back to the United States.
Norfolk Police Department officers discovered Lina Guerra's body inside the kitchen freezer of her apartment at Icon Norfolk Apartments on the 300 block of East Main Street on February 5, 2026. Guerra's brother had reported her missing days earlier. An autopsy ruled her death a homicide caused by blunt force trauma and asphyxiation. Varela's Tesla was parked outside, and her cellphone was inside the residence, but Varela, an active Navy reservist, was unresponsive to his supervisor and had fled the country around that date, boarding a flight to Hong Kong according to a federal affidavit and WhatsApp location data cited by investigators. Detectives charged him with first-degree murder and concealing a dead body five days later. Guerra's family in Colombia described Varela as previously abusive, preventing her from working, having friends, or leaving home alone, though he appeared religious and calm. Her sister-in-law, Paola Ramirez, said 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 tip from two Russian women who met Varela in Hong Kong in March aided the manhunt. They encountered him at an attraction where he said he was seeking a Russian wife and even planned a return visit. After discovering U.S. wanted reports, they contacted Norfolk CBS affiliate WTKR, providing phone numbers. The station's reporter reached a man matching Varela's description via Telegram video call. FBI Director Kash Patel announced the arrest Wednesday, stating, 'Mr. Varela has been on the run for over two months attempting to avoid prosecution for these heinous crimes, but justice doesn't forget.' Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney Ramin Fatehi seeks Varela's extradition to face charges.
