Arrest made after body found in Saint Jones River
Crash map (Dover Police)
DOVER, Del. – Dover Police have made an arrest in connection to the discovery of a body in the Saint Jones River earlier this month.
On July 2nd, a group of kayakers located a body on the shoreline of the river and reported the discovery to police. The victim was later identified as 30-year-old Jorge Valladares, and information was obtained that his death was possibly the result of a motor vehicle crash.
On June 22nd, officers responded to East Water Street for a single vehicle crash at around 4:15 a.m. The crash involved a red 2013 Jeep Wrangler, and police say the driver and a passenger provided conflicting information about the crash, including the number of people inside the vehicle at the time of the crash, ultimately telling police that there were only two people inside the car. Officers checked the surrounding area and did not find any additional evidence or persons.
Both the driver, identified as 30-year-old Luis Cuello, and the 41-year-old male passenger were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
During the investigation, police say it was discovered that the crash had actually occurred at around 11:20 p.m. on June 21st, nearly five hours prior to the first call to police. A review of evidence obtained from the vehicle and surveillance footage from nearby businesses showed that the Jeep was traveling eastbound on Water Street, approaching a sharp left curve in front of Del-One Federal Credit Union. The Jeep reportedly did not brake and drove over the curb, traveled down an embankment, and flipped multiple times. Evidence from the vehicle showed that none of the three occupants were wearing seatbelts.
Police believe that Valladares was ejected from the vehicle and landed in the Saint Jones River, and autopsy results show that Valladares’ had traumatic head injuries as a result of the crash. We’re told that during the five hours between the crash and the first report to police, Valladares’ body moved a significant distance as a result of the river’s current. At no point in the investigation did the driver or passenger of the vehicle tell police that Valladares was also in the vehicle.
During the initial investigation, Cuello was charged with DUI and other traffic offenses. He has since additionally been charged with second degree vehicular homicide as a result of the investigation following the discovery of Valladares’ body. He was arrested and held at SCI on a $7,000 secured bond.
No mugshot is available for Cuello at this time.
