A man who allegedly killed his ex-girlfriend and buried her in a shallow grave in Philadelphia was arrested by police after a high speed chase through Westchester County, New York.
Geovanni Otero, 29, was pulled over by New York state troopers on Saturday for allegedly driving a car reported stolen from Virginia, the Independent reported.
Otero then sped off, leading officers on a chase that lasted for a mile and ended with the suspect crashing the car and trying to escape on foot, NBC Philadelphia reported.
Police eventually caught up to Otero, who is accused of killing 29-year-old Melody Rivera.
After the chase concluded, Otero was found with several fake IDs after providing a false identification to officers.
Police identified Otero through his fingerprints, which was when they realized he was a suspect in Rivera’s murder.
The US Marshals Service has been searching for Otero since November 8, when authorities found Rivera beaten to death and buried in a shallow grave in Philadelphia’s Fox Chase neighborhood.
In the agency’s bulletin, it said Otero has a tattoo of a dagger behind his left ear and the name of his ex-girlfriend tattooed behind his right ear. He was considered ‘armed and dangerous.’
Geovanni Otero, 29, had been wanted for the murder of his ex-girlfriend, 29-year-old Melody Rivera
Rivera (pictured) leaves behind an 11-year-old daughter. She went missing after Halloween, allegedly after a dispute with Otero
Pictured: Rivera’s body is carried out from the Philadelphia park she was buried in
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The bulletin also said Otero and Rivera were last seen ‘on October 31, 2024 at 7:00pm on the 900 block of Sanger Street.’
The US Marshals were offering a $5,000 reward for any information on Otero.
Rivera’s mother Maritza Garcia said she last saw her daughter on Halloween as well. Garcia reported her daughter missing 12 hours later.
Otero is being held in New York awaiting extradition back to Pennsylvania. He is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.
Otero was recently released from state prison on a gun-related charge, 6 ABC reported. He has a criminal history dating back to when he was just 12 years old.
Police said Otero had an argument with the victim before she went missing, prompting the initial search and investigation.
The possible motive for her killing remains unclear.
Rivera’s family told FOX29 Philadelphia that she leaves behind an 11-year-old daughter.
Martha Lee Fred, the sister of Rivera, said she was loving, kind and funny. The family spent six days looking for her after she disappeared.
‘We looked for her for six days, and they confirmed for us today that the woman found in a shallow grave yesterday was my sister,’ Fred said.
‘We went every single day, hours, hours at a time looking for my sister,’ she added. ‘She didn’t deserve to be buried in a park. She didn’t deserve that.’