A suspect has been arrested months after a woman’s body was discovered stuffed into a futon inside her Philadelphia apartment.
Gerelys Sanchez-Reyes, 28, was arrested in Madrid, Spain, according to the US Marshals Service, and will be extradited back to the United States. It appears she will be charged with murder.
Yuleisy Carolina Torrelles Martinez, 21, was found dead in the early morning hours of April 5. The Philadelphia Police Department stated that Martinez’s friends contacted them after not hearing from her in several days.
Officers arrived at Martinez’s apartment on the 4400 block of Frankford Avenue in the city’s northeast region with a search warrant and discovered her body wrapped in a shower curtain inside a futon, according to the WCAU. She had several stab wounds on her neck and torso.
Sanchez-Reyes was named a suspect just days later, on April 12, with police obtaining an arrest warrant for her and asking the public for any information as to her whereabouts.
On Thursday, the United States Marshals Service’s Philadelphia branch announced her arrest.
Martinez’s family told WCAU that she had lived in Philadelphia for less than a year and worked as a waitress. Angel Cardona, a local business owner, said she was a regular customer and he would see her around.
“She came in about a year ago to purchase furniture for her flat,” Cardona told me. “It’s extremely tragic and mind-blowing. It’s very unfortunate what happened. She’s obviously a young lady, 21 years old and just starting out in life. That’s a shame. It actually is. My thoughts and prayers go out to her family, friends, and everyone who knew her.
It’s unclear if or how the victim and Sanchez-Reyes knew each other, or if the suspect had connections in Spain or fled for another reason.
