Brown University killer died two days before his remains were found in storage unit: autopsy

Sheetal Kumar Nehra December 21, 2025Last Updated: December 21, 2025

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Brown University killer died two days before his remains were found in storage unit: autopsy — Claudio Neves Valente, 48, was dead for two days when police found his lifeless body inside a New Hampshire storage unit. via REUTERS

Brown University and MIT professor killer Claudio Neves Valente had been dead for two days when authorities located his body inside a storage unit in New Hampshire after a week‑long chase.

The 48‑year‑old Portuguese national died from a self‑inflicted gunshot to the head on Tuesday. Police found him inside the Salem unit on Thursday night, surrounded by a satchel and two weapons, and the New Hampshire attorney general’s office confirmed Sunday that his death was ruled a suicide.

Valente, who earned a PhD at Brown over twenty years ago, was the gun‑laden suspect who opened fire in a Providence lecture hall on Saturday, killing two students and wounding nine more.

The victims were 19‑year‑old Ella Cook from Alabama and 18‑year‑old Mukhammad  Aziz  Umurzokov, an Uzbek–American freshman. Police said he started the attack by making bizarre “barking” noises as he entered the room before unloading more than 40 rounds at the terrified students.

After the Brown shooting, Valente drove to Massachusetts and, two days later, murdered MIT professor Nuno Loureiro, 47, in his Brookline townhouse worth $1.4 million. Loureiro and Valente had once studied together at Instituto Superior Técnico in Portugal.

Though the attacker’s motive remains unclear, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha told reporters that the authorities have no explanation for why Valente chose Brown, these particular students, or this classroom.

Valente had rented the New Hampshire storage unit in November. On December 1 he was seen in a gray Nissan with Florida plates, a vehicle that was spotted several times around the Brown campus until December 12. After the shootings, he changed the license plates and headed to Massachusetts on Monday.

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