A Navy reservist is the subject of an international manhunt after authorities discovered the body of his missing wife, 39-year-old Lina M. Guerra Echavarria, inside a kitchen freezer at their Norfolk, Virginia apartment. David Varela, 38, faces charges of first-degree murder and concealing a dead body, and investigators believe he fled to Hong Kong shortly after Guerra’s brother reported her missing.
Norfolk Police Department officers found Guerra’s body on February 5 while executing a search warrant at a residence in the 300 block of East Main Street in the ICON apartment building. An autopsy conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled her death a homicide. Guerra’s family in Colombia had not heard from her since January 16, prompting her brother in Miami to contact authorities on February 4 after more than two weeks of silence.
During those two weeks, Varela spun an elaborate deception. He told Guerra’s family in Colombia that his wife had been arrested on shoplifting charges and sentenced to five years in prison. He sent relatives a photo purportedly showing him visiting Guerra in jail, where she appeared to be wearing an orange jumpsuit. In messages shared with investigators, Varela told Guerra’s sister-in-law, Paola Ramirez, that he “has not stopped crying” and “hasn’t eaten in more than a day” over his wife’s supposed incarceration.
Court records confirmed Guerra was never charged with or convicted of any shoplifting crime.
The Norfolk Police Department is coordinating with the FBI, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and Interpol to locate Varela, an enlisted Navy reservist on active duty who works as an electrician. Emergency disclosure requests to WhatsApp revealed location data pinging from Hong Kong on or around February 5—the same day Guerra’s body was discovered and the day after she was reported missing.
Varela enlisted in the Navy in 2007 and has more than a decade of military service, though he took a five-year break between 2012 and 2017. He began his service on the USS San Francisco in 2008 and rejoined the Navy Reserves in Miami in 2017. He failed to answer repeated calls from his chain of command, behavior superiors described as highly unusual. Beyond state charges, Varela faces federal charges for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
The U.S. Navy issued a statement confirming cooperation: “The Navy is aware of the ongoing investigation led by Norfolk Police Department involving the death of a Navy spouse in the Norfolk area and is in full cooperation with local, state and Federal law enforcement.”
Investigators noted that while Varela has family in Colombia, he has no known ties to Hong Kong or China. His choice of destination appears strategic—the United States suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong in July 2020 via executive order signed by President Trump, a response to Beijing’s imposition of a national security law that Western nations argued crushed the city’s autonomy. The suspended treaty creates significant obstacles for bringing the accused killer to justice.
Guerra’s family members described a pattern of controlling and abusive behavior throughout the couple’s relationship. Guerra met Varela approximately 11 years ago in Miami, where she worked as a waitress and he worked as a cook. They married soon after. Ramirez told reporters that Varela was jealous and wouldn’t let Guerra work, have friends, study, or go out alone. The couple moved to Virginia about two years ago for Varela’s military assignment.
“I want to emphasize that there had been violence before from David,” Ramirez told WTKR through a translator. “He had hit her previously, but she didn’t tell us because she didn’t want to worry us.”
Guerra’s cousin, Pilar Angel Echevarria, spoke to reporters from Colombia about the devastating loss. She described Guerra as the middle child of two siblings and said their relationship was closer than cousins—more like sisters. The two women spoke multiple times daily until communication suddenly stopped on January 16.
The distance between Colombia and Virginia has compounded the family’s grief as they struggle to understand what happened. Echevarria said Guerra had previously mentioned wanting to be cremated like her mother, and she hopes to travel to the United States to collect her cousin’s ashes once the investigation concludes. Guerra’s aunt, Elizabeth Echavarria, expressed the family’s anguish to reporters: “It’s awful he took my little girl away.”
Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi is pursuing extradition through Interpol, obtaining what’s known as a Red Notice—a tool used when countries lack an extradition treaty. He expressed cautious optimism about the manhunt. The suspended extradition treaty with Hong Kong means the process will be complex, but authorities say they have good leads on Varela’s whereabouts.
Authorities are urging anyone with information about Varela’s whereabouts to contact the Norfolk Police Department, the FBI, or their local law enforcement agency.