SANTA ANA, California
A federal grand jury Wednesday returned an indictment charging a Covina man with kidnapping his wife in 2016 in an incident that resulted in her death, officials stated.
Eddy Reyes, 35, who lived with his wife in Santa Ana when she was last seen, was arrested in this case on April 15.
Reyes, an employee of U.S. Customs and Border Protection who has been held without bond since his arrest.
The indictment alleges that Reyes kidnapped his wife, 21-year-old Claudia Sanchez Reyes, on May 6, 2016.
According to court documents, Claudia Reyes was last seen leaving work on the night of May 6, 2016.
After Reyes filed a missing person report four days later, the Santa Ana Police Department conducted an investigation.
It revealed co-workers heard Claudia Reyes fighting with her husband on May 6 soon before he picked her up in a rented SUV, according to the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint.
It notes 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 affidavit also documents a history of alleged domestic abuse by Reyes 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.
Reyes is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
If convicted of the charge of kidnapping resulting in death, Reyes is facing up to life in prison.