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Brittany Battaglia and Genesis Silva (Chicago Police Department)
A 34-year-old registered sex offender in Illinois has been arrested in connection with the death of his 33-year-old girlfriend after police say they found the woman’s nearly decapitated body stuffed into a duffle bag in the man’s Chicago apartment.
Genesis Silva was taken into custody on Monday and charged with one count of concealing a homicide and one count of unlawful use of a weapon in Brittany Battaglia’s death, authorities confirmed to Law&Crime.
While Silva is not currently charged with Battaglia’s murder, authorities have emphasized that the case into her death is ongoing, and more charges are likely.
Battaglia was reported missing on June 4 by her family.
The victim’s brother, AJ Battaglia, who posted several tweets about his sister after she went missing, broke the tragic news about his sister and Silva’s arrest in a Twitter post earlier this week.
“Detectives have just called my family and I. Brittany [Battaglia] has been found deceased in Genesis Silva’s apartment. Genesis [Silva] is in custody,” he wrote. “I am absolutely heartbroken to share this. Brittany [Battaglia] was such a kind person and didn’t deserve this. She was the best sister I could ever ask for.”
Battaglia was last seen alive when she left home at about 6:30 p.m. on June 2, according to the Chicago Police Department.
“The victim told her roommate that she was going to the defendant’s apartment and then to a party,” Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney Mike Pekara said during a brief press conference on Thursday in footage provided by Chicago NBC affiliate WMAQ-TV. “During the search, the large duffle bag in the bedroom was searched. The victim’s body was found inside that bag.”
She died from multiple sharp force wounds, and her head was almost severed off, he added.
Detectives pulled Silva over Sunday evening outside his apartment before searching the residence, according to a report from Chicago ABC affiliate WLS-TV. Police said Silva was told to wait outside but formally took him into custody when he allegedly tried to sneak into the residence through a back staircase.
Inside, police reportedly found Battaglia’s body, a tarp, garbage bags, and cleaning supplies.
A search of Silva’s apartment reportedly revealed trace amounts of Battaglia’s blood. A note in the home read, “Can you ask average time until smell,” WMAQ reported.
Silva allegedly had a backpack when he was taken into custody. Inside the bag, police say they found a machete that later tested positive for Battaglia’s blood, WLS reported.
Battaglia’s best friend and roommate, Quamieshia Greathouse, first grew concerned when Battaglia never showed up to the party as planned, she told WLS. As she grew more concerned for her friend, who had a flight booked for the following day, she reached out to Battaglia’s brother, who reportedly found that the location function on his sister’s phone had been turned off.
Greathouse told WLS that she had warned Battaglia that Silva, a convicted felon, was not safe to be around.
“I specifically waited to see if she would come home and pack for her trip, because that’s something she definitely wouldn’t miss. And, when I realized she was not going to make it in time for that flight, I knew immediately that something was horribly wrong,” Greathouse reportedly told the station. “I’ve definitely warned her about this person, but Brittany’s nature is to see the good in everybody.”
Silva was convicted in 2009 of aggravated sexual abuse using force, according to records from the Illinois State Police. The victim of the assault was Silva’s then-wife, Diana Ochoa, Chicago Fox affiliate WFLD reported. He was sentenced to two years of probation.
She told the station that Silva should have still been in prison for what he did to her.
“I’m also really sad that this even had to happen in the first place,” she reportedly told the station. “In my opinion, he should’ve gone away to prison when he tried to kill me.”
Silva is being held without bond and is scheduled to appear in court on June 20, records show.
A GoFundMe for the Battaglia family can be found here.
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