Home / Crime and Justice / Snapchat Clue Cracks 4-Year Cold Case Murder
Snapchat Clue Cracks 4-Year Cold Case Murder
6 Jun
Summary
- A Snapchat message helped investigators link a suspect to a 2018 murder.
- The victim was lured to Osmun Lake and later found dead.
- The convicted killer received a sentence of 36.5 to 80 years.
A 2018 murder investigation was reignited and solved through a crucial Snapchat message. Emilio Valdez was killed in early June 2018, his body later discovered in Osmun Lake. The case remained unsolved for nearly four years.
In 2022, a new detective team reopened the investigation. By examining Emilio's Snapchat activity, they identified a message sent shortly before his disappearance, which they linked to Angel Jose Alvarez.
Investigators pieced together a timeline suggesting Alvarez lured Emilio to a meeting. Alvarez's mother later reported the vehicle used in the crime as stolen. Alvarez, his brother, and mother were arrested in 2022.
In June 2024, a jury convicted Alvarez of murder. He received a sentence of 36.5 to 80 years in prison the following month.
Alvarez's brother and mother pleaded no contest to charges of lying to police. The exact motive for Emilio's killing remains unclear, though jealousy was suspected by his family.
