After a brief chase down a busy Delaware interstate, police found a body in two suitcases in the trunk of a maroon sedan driven by Louis D. Coleman III. He was caught after attempting to escape on foot, and has been charged in connection with the kidnapping and alleged murder of Jassy Correia, 23.
“A body has been recovered and we are awaiting a positive identification at this time,” according to a Boston Police statement. “The cause and manner of death are pending.”
Police had put out an all-points-bulletin after identifying Coleman, 32, as the primary suspect in Correia’s disappearance. Local media reported that bleach had been found in the dumpster outside of Coleman’s house that was potentially tied to the murder.
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Correia, who had a 2-year-old daughter, was last seen leaving the Venu nightclub in Boston’s theater district, where she celebrated her birthday with friends. Fuzzy surveillance tape showed her getting into what is now confirmed as Coleman’s car.
Her family reported her missing when she failed to pick up her young daughter from her mother’s house Sunday morning. “Sunday, when the grandmother called, she didn’t answer the phone, so everything’s, like, starting to be crazy,” Correia’s father Joaquin told WBZ-TV news.
It is believed that Correia did not know her killer, who her friends say she met at the nightclub.
Her family has already collected more than $40,000 through a GoFundMe campaign that started as a missing persons fund but was quickly updated with details of the murder.
“Jassy Correia was kidnapped while leaving the Venu Night Club in Boston where she was celebrating her 23rd birthday. She was found murdered,” according to the fundraising page. “Any and all additional money raised will be used to setup college fund for Jassy’s daughter. Please help Jassy’s family in this very difficult time of need as we suffer through this horrific tragedy.”
An autopsy is underway to determine the cause and timing of Correia’s death. The police have not released details about how the body was found in two suitcases.
“She was a mother, she was brave, she was strong,” Correia’s cousin Katia Depina told The Boston Globe. “She did not deserve this. She went out to celebrate her birthday and never returned home.’’
