Jul 16, 2020
BALTIMORE — A 14-year mystery is drawing new interest through a series that debuted on Netflix.
Rey Rivera was a 32-year-old writer who disappeared in May 2006. His body was found eight days later under bizarre circumstances.
Allison Rivera has gone without answers about the death of her husband for 14 years.
"I think living without answers is a really hard thing," she said. "Human beings, we like to put things in a box, then kind of move on."
Rey Rivera's body was found in May 2006 in a meeting room of The Belvedere Hotel. A hole in the roof suggested he fell from a height. Mystery has prevailed ever since.
This month sparked new interest in the case. The Netflix series "Unsolved Mysteries" featured the Rey Rivera case in its opening episode. It was the first time Allison Rivera spoke so publicly about her loss and frustration of not knowing what led to her husband's death.
Baltimore police homicide Maj. Steve Hohman told the I-Team the case is officially open and it was never officially ruled a suicide.
Detective Bier, featured in the film, was not the primary investigator on the case. He was not reassigned to get him off the case. His transfer to SAFE Streets taskforce was his request and investigation into this case continued after his transfer. Bier's view/opinion of the incident are not the official view of the BPD.
While much of the evidence and information is not definitive, there is no conclusive evidence to make a determination that the incident is a homicide. For those reasons, it is appropriate for the case to remain open and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to keep the cause "undetermined."
"While the case is classified as open, the department has not received any new evidence for follow-up. We welcome any additional information that may assist investigators with the task of bringing forth closure to the family and friends of Ray Rivera," Hohman said.
www.wbaltv.com
