Navy Reservist Suspected of Killing Wife and Hiding Body in Freezer Allegedly Flees to Hong Kong

A manhunt is currently in progress for a Navy reservist who is feared to have fled to Hong Kong after authorities discovered the body of his wife concealed within a freezer at their home in Virginia, USA.

Lina Guerra, 39, was found deceased inside the freezer of the Norfolk apartment she shared with her husband David Varela, 28, on February 5. This discovery came days after her brother reported her missing, having had no contact with her since January 16, according to reports from WAVY.

An autopsy performed by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner on February 10 classified her death as a homicide.

Following this, the Norfolk Police Department charged Varela with first-degree murder and for concealing a corpse to obstruct detection.

It has been reported that Varela disregarded numerous attempts from his superiors to contact him, an unusual behavior according to his chain of command, as stated by the police.

Investigation teams from Homeland Security, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), and the FBI suspect that Varela boarded a flight to Hong Kong “around February 5, 2026.” They believe there is “probable cause” to assert that he has left Virginia to evade prosecution, as indicated in an affidavit acquired by WAVY.

Emergency requests for disclosures from WhatsApp disclosed location information that indicated activity from Hong Kong.

The NCIS noted that while Varela has family links in Colombia, “he does not have any identifiable connections to Hong Kong or China.”

As the hunt for Varela intensifies, Guerra’s family is in mourning over her untimely death. Her aunt, Elizabeth Echavarria, shared with WAVY from Colombia that Guerra and Varela met years ago in Florida and married shortly thereafter.

During the time Guerra was unaccounted for, Varela mistakenly informed her family in Colombia that she had been arrested on shoplifting charges, as reported by WTKR.

He allegedly sent a picture of them together, claiming it depicted him visiting her while she was in custody and that she appeared in an orange jumpsuit.

Guerra’s sister-in-law, Paola Ramirez, stated that Varela communicated to her that he “hasn’t stopped crying” and “hasn't eaten for over a day” due to his wife's alleged imprisonment.

However, court records have since confirmed that Guerra was never charged or found guilty of any shoplifting offenses, as mentioned by WTKR.

According to family members, they had long harbored concerns about Guerra's wellbeing, suggesting that Varela had exhibited violent and jealous behavior, restricting her from working, making friends, studying, or venturing out alone.

“I want to stress that there had been violence in the past perpetrated by David,” Ramirez remarked to WTKR.

“He had attacked her before, but she chose not to tell us to avoid causing us worry. He always appeared very religious, calm, and normal, which is why this revelation is so shocking; we never thought he would resort to such extreme actions.”

Varela has a history of serving in at least six states since enlisting in the Navy in 2007 and received numerous distinctions and awards, according to 13 News Now.

There is escalating anxiety that Varela might have gone to Hong Kong, especially since the extradition treaty with the United States has been inactive since August 2020, as explained by Ed Booth, a Navy public affairs representative.

“If you wanted to buy time to evade law enforcement, moving to Hong Kong would provide that opportunity,” Booth elaborated.

“Crimes like murder are prohibited both in Hong Kong and the United States, but currently, there is no extradition agreement between the two countries.”