Background: 4400 block of Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia (Google Maps) Inset: Gerelys Sanchez-Reyes (Philadelphia Police Department)
A suspect has been arrested months after a woman”s body was found stuffed in a futon inside her Philadelphia apartment.
Gerelys Sanchez-Reyes, aged 28, was taken into custody in Madrid, Spain, by the U.S. Marshals Service. She is set to be returned to the United States where she is likely to face charges related to a homicide case.
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Yuleisy Carolina Torrelles Martinez, a 21-year-old individual, was discovered deceased in the early hours of April 5. Concerned friends of Martinez reached out to the Philadelphia Police Department after being unable to contact her for several days.
Police officers, armed with a search warrant, went to Martinez’s residence on Frankford Avenue in the northeastern part of Philadelphia. They located her deceased body wrapped in a shower curtain and placed inside a futon. Martinez had sustained numerous stab wounds to her neck and torso, as reported by WCAU.
Sanchez-Reyes was announced as a suspect just days later, on April 12, with police securing an arrest warrant for her and asking the public for any information as to where she may be.
The U.S. Marshals Service’s Philadelphia branch announced her arrest on Thursday.
Martinez’s family told WCAU that she had been living in Philadelphia for less than a year, working as a waitress. Angel Cardona, a local business owner, said she was a customer of his and he would see her around every now and then.
“She came in about a year ago to purchase furniture for her apartment,” Cardona said. “It’s very tragic and mind-blowing. It’s very unfortunate that happened. She’s obviously a young lady, 21-years-old, just starting out in life. And it’s a shame. It really is. My heart and prayers go out to her family, her friends, everybody that knew her.”
It’s unclear if or how the victim and Sanchez-Reyes knew each other, nor is it clear whether the suspect had connections in Spain or fled there for another reason.
