U.S. Military and Justice

Virginia authorities have charged 38‑year‑old Navy reservist on active duty David Varela with first‑degree murder and concealing a dead body after his wife, 39‑year‑old Lina Maria Guerra Echavarria, was found stuffed in a kitchen freezer in their Norfolk home on Feb. 5, 2026, following a missing‑person report from her brother. An autopsy by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner on Feb. 10 ruled her death a homicide, and investigators say Varela left the United States for Hong Kong the same day her body was discovered. Homeland Security Investigations traced his departure and WhatsApp location data to Hong Kong, even though he has no known ties to China or Hong Kong and family in Colombia instead. The FBI has now obtained a federal arrest warrant alleging he fled Virginia to avoid prosecution, completed extradition authorization paperwork tied to an Interpol Red Notice request, and is working alongside Norfolk police and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Federal officials say they will use all investigative and international tools available to return Varela to face charges, while local police have not yet disclosed a motive in what social‑media users are already calling another failure of the military to quickly flag domestic‑violence warning signs.