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, 28, was detained in Madrid, Spain, as stated by the U.S. Marshals Service, and she is set to be extradited back to the United States. It seems she will face murder charges.
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The remains of Yuleisy Carolina Torrelles Martinez, 21, were discovered in the early hours of April 5. Friends of Martinez alerted the Philadelphia Police Department when they hadn’t heard from her over several days.
Upon obtaining a search warrant and arriving at Martinez’s residence on the 4400 block of Frankford Avenue in the city’s northeastern sector, officers found her body enveloped in a shower curtain inside a futon, according to WCAU. She had sustained several stab wounds to her neck and torso.
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.
