Chicago – December 19, 2025
The suspect in last week’s mass shooting at Brown University has been found dead in a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, ending a six-day manhunt that spanned multiple states, authorities confirmed.
Police identified the suspect as Claudio Neves Valente, 48, a Portuguese national who studied at Brown University approximately 25 years ago. Valente was enrolled at the Ivy League institution from autumn 2000 through the following spring and was pursuing a PhD in physics, according to Brown University President Christina Paxson. She emphasized that Valente had no current or active affiliation with the university.
Manhunt and Identification
Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez said investigators were able to identify Valente through video evidence and tips from the public. These leads directed authorities to a car rental location, where the suspect’s name was discovered and matched to a person of interest in the case.
The breakthrough helped link multiple crime scenes across state lines, ultimately leading authorities to New Hampshire.
Link to MIT Professor’s Killing
Officials believe Valente was also responsible for the fatal shooting of MIT professor Nuno F. Gomes Loureiro, 47, who was killed at his home in Brookline, Massachusetts, two days after the December 13 shooting at Brown University.
Investigators noted that both Valente and Loureiro had studied at the same university in Portugal during the late 1990s. The cases were connected after the suspect’s vehicle was identified through CCTV footage and corroborated by a witness at Brown University.
Discovery in New Hampshire
Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha confirmed that Valente was found dead inside a storage unit, along with a satchel and two firearms. A nearby vehicle contained evidence that matched the Providence crime scene, and the same car had been seen near the site of the MIT professor’s killing.
Preliminary findings suggest Valente died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Authorities have not yet determined how long he had been inside the storage facility and have not identified a motive for either attack.
Ongoing Investigation
While the manhunt has concluded, investigators say the case remains active as they continue to analyze evidence and establish a clearer timeline of events. Officials have urged the public to remain patient as more details emerge.
The incidents have deeply affected the academic communities at Brown University and MIT, with both institutions expressing condolences to the victims and their families.
