Man accused of killing girlfriend and burying her in Philly captured after car chase in New York
Melody Rivera, who was found dead in Philadelphia, leaves behind an eleven-year-old daughter
A man accused of killing his girlfriend and burying her in a shallow grave in Philadelphia has been captured in Westchester County, New York, following a car chase with police.
New York state troopers tried to stop 29-year-old Geovanni Otero on Saturday while he was driving a car reported stolen from Virginia, officials said.
While Otero initially complied, he soon sped off, leading officers on a mile-long chase that ended with him crashing the vehicle and trying to escape on foot, NBC Philadelphia reports.
Once police caught up to him, they found Otero had several fake IDs, according to NBC Philadelphia.
Once police caught up to him, Otero provided a false identification and was in possession of multiple forms of fake ID, according to the outlet.
He was taken to the hospital where he was treated for minor injuries.
Police identified Otero through fingerprint analysis, and discovered he was wanted for killing his ex-girlfriend, 29-year-old Melody Rivera.
The U.S. Marshals Service has been searching for Otero since November, when police found Rivera bludgeoned to death and buried in a shallow grave in Philadelphia’s Fox Chase neighborhood. Otero also has her name tattooed behind his ear, according to the Marshals Service.
The agency was offering a $5,000 reward for information on Otero.
Rivera’s mother Maritza Garcia said she last saw her daughter on Halloween, and reporter her missing 12 hours later, NBC Philadelphia previously reported.
Otero is being held in New York awaiting extradition. His court date is scheduled for Thursday, according to public arrest records.
The 29-year-old was recently released from state prison on a gun-related offense, 6 ABC reports, and has a prior criminal history dating back about 17 years.
Rivera’s family told Fox29 Philadelphia she leaves behind an 11-year-old daughter.
Relative Martha Lee Fred described her as loving, kind and funny. After she disappeared, her family spent six days searching.
“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 told NBC Philadelphia.
"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."
The Independent was unable to identify Otero’s attorney for comment.