Brown University and MIT professor suspect found dead after five-day manhunt

The manhunt for a suspect in two deadly shootings at major US universities has ended, with authorities confirming the suspect's death. Law enforcement officials announced Thursday that Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, a 48-year-old Portuguese national, was found dead in a New Hampshire storage unit. He is now believed to be responsible for both the mass shooting at Brown University in Rhode Island and the targeted killing of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor two days later.

Tracing the Attacks and a Shared Past

The violence began on Saturday, December 13th, when a gunman opened fire inside an engineering classroom at Brown University during a final exam review session. The attack killed two undergraduate students—19-year-old Ella Cook and 18-year-old Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov—and wounded nine others. Valente, who was identified as a former graduate student in Brown's physics program during the 2000-2001 academic year, reportedly spent significant time in the building where the shooting occurred.

Just over 48 hours later, on Monday night, MIT professor Nuno F.G. Loureiro was fatally shot in the foyer of his home in Brookline, Massachusetts. Authorities have stated that Loureiro, a prominent 47-year-old plasma physicist and director of MIT's Plasma Science and Fusion Center, was the intended target. A key connection emerged during the investigation: both Valente and Professor Loureiro are natives of Portugal and are believed to have attended the same academic program at Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon during the 1990s.

From Public Search to Private End

For five days, the investigation frustrated authorities, who initially detained and then cleared a different person of interest. The break in the case came from a member of the public. A tipster, who had a suspicious encounter with a man in a Brown University bathroom on the day of the shooting, posted online about a grey Nissan Sentra with Florida plates. This crucial tip led investigators to a rental car agency, where they obtained Valente's identity and matched his clothing to surveillance footage from Brown.

The trail led law enforcement to a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, where Valente had rented a unit in November. On Thursday evening, an FBI SWAT team executed a search warrant and discovered Valente's body in an adjacent storage unit. Authorities stated he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was found with a satchel containing two firearms.

A Community Breathes Easier and a Motive Remains Unknown

The announcement brought a measure of relief to the shaken academic communities in Providence and Boston. "Tonight our Providence neighbors can finally breathe a little easier," said Providence Mayor Brett Smiley. While the immediate threat is over, the motive for the attacks remains unclear. Authorities have confirmed they are not aware of any criminal record for Valente in the United States and have stated that the investigation into his reasons for targeting Brown University and Professor Loureiro is ongoing.