Authorities have confirmed the death of the primary suspect in a series of shootings that terrorized two prestigious American universities, with a critical break in the case coming from an unexpected online source.
The Breakthrough: A Crucial Online Tip
For days, the investigation into the Brown University shooting that left two students dead and several wounded appeared to stall. Police released images of a person of interest and a nearby individual, pleading for public help. The frustration was palpable during daily briefings. That changed dramatically on Thursday, December 19, 2025, when a tip led investigators to a social media platform.
According to an affidavit filed by Providence Police and reported by The New York Times, a user on Reddit posted a specific and urgent message: "I’m being dead serious. The police need to look into a grey Nissan with Florida plates, possibly a rental." The individual who made the post approached authorities the following day, detailing an encounter with a man inside the Brown University campus building on the day of the attack.
Suspect Identified and Located
This digital clue proved to be the key. It allowed investigators to zero in on Claudio Neves-Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national and student at Brown University. Officials now believe he was also responsible for the fatal shooting of a physicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in his Boston home days earlier.
The manhunt ended on Thursday night at a storage unit in Salem, New Hampshire. Providence Police Chief Oscar Perez announced that Neves-Valente was found deceased inside the unit, having taken his own life. Two firearms were recovered at the scene. Chief Perez stated, "He took his own life tonight," adding that the shooter is believed to have acted alone.
"Tonight, our Providence neighbors can finally breathe a little bit easier," Mayor Brett Smiley told reporters following the announcement.
Remembering the Victims and Ongoing Investigation
The shooting at Brown's Ivy League campus in Providence, Rhode Island, occurred on Saturday, December 13. A gunman armed with a rifle entered a campus building where students were taking exams, opening fire before fleeing.
The attack claimed the lives of two students: Ella Cook, vice president of Brown’s Republican Party association, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, an aspiring neurosurgeon originally from Uzbekistan. Mayor Smiley provided an update on the wounded, stating one survivor was in critical but stable condition, five were stable, and two had been discharged from the hospital.
Authorities have not yet determined a motive for the twin attacks at these top-tier universities. Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha noted the case "blew open" thanks to the investigative work, which started in Providence and led to the connection in Boston. A press conference in Boston is scheduled to provide further details on the cross-jurisdictional investigation.
