PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The intensive five-day multi-state manhunt for the individual responsible for the deadly shooting at Brown University has concluded. Authorities confirmed Thursday evening that the suspect, identified as 48-year-old Claudio Manuel Neves-Valente, was found dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound inside a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire.

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The discovery ends a period of high alert for academic communities across New England following a series of violent incidents that claimed the lives of two students and a distinguished professor.

The Manhunt and Discovery

Law enforcement officials, including the FBI and Providence Police, tracked Neves-Valente to an Extra Space Storage facility in Salem. Upon entering a unit rented by the suspect, officers discovered his body along with two firearms.

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha credited a crucial tip from a Brown University custodian as the turning point in the investigation. The witness, who had encountered the suspect on campus, shared his observations on social media before contacting the FBI. This lead allowed investigators to identify a Nissan sedan with Florida license plates, which the suspect had allegedly attempted to disguise with stolen Maine plates.

Connection to MIT Professor

In a significant development, investigators have linked Neves-Valente to the murder of Nuno Loureiro, 47, a prominent physics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Loureiro was found shot to death in his Brookline, Massachusetts home on Tuesday, just two days after the Brown University attack.

Authorities noted that Neves-Valente and Loureiro had attended the same academic program in Portugal in the late 1990s. While a specific motive remains under investigation, officials believe the suspect targeted Loureiro specifically.

Timeline of Events

• December 13: A gunman opens fire inside the Barus and Holley engineering building at Brown University during final exams. Two students are killed and nine others are wounded.

• December 15: MIT Professor Nuno Loureiro is found dead in his home.

• December 17: Police release surveillance footage of a person of interest; a campus custodian provides a key tip.

• December 18: Authorities track the suspect to New Hampshire. Neves-Valente is found deceased.

A Community in Mourning

Brown University President Christina Paxson expressed the university’s profound grief as the campus continues to process the loss of two students: Ella Cook, 19, a sophomore from Alabama, and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, 18, a freshman from Uzbekistan.

“This has been a week of unimaginable tragedy,” Paxson said in a statement. “While the immediate threat has passed, the healing process for our students, faculty, and the families of those lost is only just beginning.”

Neves-Valente, a Portuguese national and former graduate student at Brown in 2000, had no recent affiliation with the university. Investigators are continuing to examine his digital footprint and past interactions to determine what triggered the spree.

Would you like me to draft a follow-up piece focusing on the memorial services or the ongoing investigation into the motive?

Brown University shooting suspect found dead This video provides a news report on the conclusion of the manhunt and the identification of the suspect.