A California man has been indicted on federal charges that he kidnapped his young wife five years ago in an incident that resulted in her death.
Eddy Reyes, 35, from Covina, was arrested earlier this month on suspicion of kidnapping Claudia Reyes, 21, who was last seen leaving her job at the El Pollo Loco in Garden Grove on the night of May 6, 2016, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
After Eddy, a US Customs and Border Protection employee, filed a missing person report four days later, Claudia’s coworker’s told Santa Ana police that they had heard her fighting with her husband over the phone shortly before he picked her up that night in a rented SUV, prosecutors said.
Eddy Reyes (right), a Customs and Border Patrol employee, has been indicted on a federal kidnapping charge in connection with the disappearance of his wife, Claudia Reyes (left)
Eddy first met Claudia in her native El Salvador in 2011, when he was 25 years old and she was just 16. He quickly impregnated her and later married her and brought her to the US
During an interview with police, Eddy said he had last heard from his wife on May 7, and that she gone ‘clubbing’ with friends.
The criminal complaint notes that ‘detectives later found a drop of Claudia Reyes’ blood in that vehicle and a cadaver dog indicated that a dead body had been in the SUV,’ the statement said.
Claudia’s body was never recovered.
An affidavit in support of the criminal complaint stated that there is probable cause to believe that Eddy had lured his wife Reyes with a promise to take her dancing, and instead took her to his mother’s home ‘where Claudia was murdered.’
Court filings state that Eddy first met Claudia on a trip to El Salvador in 2011 when he was 25 and she was just 16 years old. After a few visits, the teen girl became pregnant, and Eddy later married her and brought her to the US in 2014.
According to the documents, Eddy’s mother, Maria Orellana, ‘hated’ her daughter-in-law, and threatened to kill her and take away her child: a son who was four years old at the time of Claudia’s disappearance.
The couple lived in Southern California with their son (left and right). Before long, the Reyes’ couple’s relationship began unraveling, with the wife accusing the husband of physical, sexual and psychological abuse
In 2014, Claudia obtained the first of two restraining orders against Eddy. She submitted these photos as part of her request, showing marks on her arms from an alleged beating
As of Friday, Orellana has not been arrested or charged with any crime in connection with Claudia’s kidnapping.
Court documents detail a history of alleged domestic abuse by Eddy against his wife, ‘including several threats to kill her, as well as temporary restraining orders Claudia Reyes obtained against her husband in 2014 and 2016,’ the statement said.
The affidavit stated that Eddy ‘physically and mentally abused Claudia.’ In one instance, he allegedly paid a stranger $300 to steal her cell phone because it contained ‘incriminating evidence about him that could ruin his career.’
Court documents say that Eddy allegedly lured his wife to his mother’s house, where she was killed. Claudia’s blood was later found in Eddy’s rental SUV, and a cadaver dog indicated that a dead body had been in that vehicle
Eddy also allegedly asked the same person who stole Claudia’s phone to plant cocaine on her.
In August 2014, Claudia obtained a temporary restraining order against her husband, whom he accused of physically and sexually abusing her, neglecting their son and beating the child. Less than a month later, Claudia filed a request to have the order dismissed.
In the March 2016 restraining order request, Claudia claimed that she was forced to have the first order dismissed after Eddy threatened to take their son and kill himself if she did not do it.
She further claimed that her husband once hit her on the arm for forgetting to bring a laundromat card. On another occasion, he yelled at her and smashed her phone because she refused to move in with his mother.
‘I am frightened that my husband will hurt our son, me and/or himself. He is very violent and has a quick temper when things don’t go his way,’ she wrote.
A month after Claudia’s disappearance, Eddy and their 4-year-old son attended a rally to raise awareness of her missing person case
Claudia and Eddy were separated in the spring of 2016, and she was said to be romantically involved with another man at the time. Her co-worker later told a detective that Eddy threatened Caludia that if she did not get back together with him, ‘she would not be with anyone.’
‘Reyes told her he would rather see her dead than make a life with another man,’ the affidavit stated.
When a few weeks later Claudia found out that her new boyfriend was married and he went back to his wife, she reconciled with Eddy.
At the time of Claudia’s disappearance on May 6, there was no restraining order in effect against her husband.
In June 2016, Eddy and his son attended a rally to raise awareness for Claudia’s missing person case. He was photographed holding a sign featuring his wife’s photos
Eddy is scheduled to be arraigned on the federal indictment on May 3. If convicted as charged, he could face the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole.
