The Rey Rivera case in Unsolved Mysteries Volume 1 is still considered one of the mind-puzzling death cases. The 32-year-old suddenly left home on May 16, 2006, after receiving a call from his office, and never returned.
He was an ambitious man who moved to Baltimore with his wife, Allison Rivera, due to his job. On the day when Rey went missing, his wife was out of town on a business trip, and her colleague Claudia was staying as a houseguest with Rey Rivera.
Claudia heard Rey answering the phone and leaving home. When Allison called, she told her that Rey was not home and he rushed after a phone call. The next morning Claudia called Allison back and told her that Rey Rivera hadn't returned yet, intensifying her tension.
As seen in Unresolved Mysteries episode 1, titled Mystery on the Rooftop, the Rivera family constantly searches for Rey and can't find him. However, six days later, their world is turned upside down when Rey Rivera's dead body is found in a closed conference room of the Belvedere Hotel in Baltimore.
Following his death being featured in Unsolved Mysteries, many fans speculated about his death and posted numerous theories on the internet. Rey Rivera's case garnered immense attention, as the exact cause of his death remained unexplained.
Theory 1: Rey Rivera took his life- Analysis from Unsolved Mysteries
The first Rey Rivera theory suggests that he died by jumping off a roof. This was initially believed by the police as well, due to the hole in the roof from where Rey fell inside the abandoned conference room of the hotel.
However, neither his wife nor his other family members could believe that Rey Rivera would kill himself. He enjoyed a happy life with Allison Rivera and the couple had no concerning conflicts or tensions. In the episode of Unsolved Mysteries, Allison stated:
"I wouldn't want to belive my husband would commit suicide. He is not a guy what would jump off a roof... He was so excited. He wanted a baby so bad. He wanted a family so bad."
Allison, her family and friends were all searching for Rey, they even called hospitals to find out if Rey had been injured or if something happened to him. But nothing helped until the seventh day when they found his dead body.
However, according to a Reddit theory, Rey Rivera was mentally ill and was struggling from the inside. The police found a cryptic note behind his computer, which seemed like a code language, including the names of TV shows, films, celebrities, and some of his close people.
The note highlighted Freemason wordings and was then examined by the FBI. Post examination, they revealed that it wasn't a suicide note, but Rey had been recently intrigued by the Freemasons.
While many viewers of Unsolved Mysteries believed that Rey Rivera committed suicide out of depression or mental illness, many criticized this theory, suggesting that the injuries on his body did not indicate suicide.
Theory 2: Rey Rivera's body was disposed off from a helicopter
Another theory that was highly discussed on the internet is Rey Rivera's body being disposed off by a helicopter. This theory emerged because hardly anyone saw Rey entering the 14-story building and owing up to the roof.
The helicopter theory suggests that Rey was thrown out of a helicopter, forcing him into the conference roof through the hole. Detective Michael Bair dismissed the claims made during the Unresolved Mystery episode, arguing that there were no reports of anyone spotting the helicopter. He said,
People hearing the helicopter? You’re not going to hover down in a helicopter that low. If he would have been dropped at an altitude higher than the building, who knows where he could have went...
Allison Rivera's account of her meeting with the medical examiner revealed that Rey's shins were broken in an "inconsistent" way. This theory was also highlighted by RadioTimes.com, as the examiners had a tough time concluding how Rey died.
Theory 3: Rey Rivera's death at the Belvedere Hotel in Baltimore was arranged
Now this would sound even more creepy that someone arranged Rey Rivera's death at the Belvedere Hotel. This theory suggests that Rey did not kill himself but someone else. As previously mentioned, the medical examiner revealed that the injuries sustained by Rey didn't appear to have been caused by falling off the roof.
If he had fallen from the hole, the injuries would have been fatal and the way his shins were broken was completely unusual (as revealed by Allison Rivera in Unsolved Mysteries). A fall from a height might have caused severe injuries and blood loss. However, Rey Rivera's case didn't show any such signs.
This theory explains that Rivera's body was cleverly kept inside the conference room and positioned under the hole to make it look like a fall. His glasses and phone were unscathed, intensifying the mystery behind his death.
Theory 4: Rey Rivera's connection to Freemasonry and Masonic code
This theory hints at Rey Rivera's possible connection to Freemasonry and codes in his note which was found taped behind his computer. While searching for a possible suicide note, Allison found a note behind Rey's computer, riddled with numerous names and unusual writings.
When Allison searched those "weird" sentences on the internet, she found that it was related to Freemasons. In the episode of Unsolved Mysteries, she stated:
He defiantly was, you know, kind of curious in, just secret societies, the Freemasons... and maybe he was looking to do a screenplay.
Rey's wife was puzzled and handed over the note to the police. Many believed it was a code language used in Freemasonry, and Rey Rivera's death must be linked to it. Since it was written on the day he disappeared (as stated by Allison Rivera in Unsolved Mysteries), it felt like Rey's death was connected to the secret society. However, no concrete evidence was found to link Rey Rivera's death to Freemasonry.
Theory 5: Rey Rivera'a best friend's role in his death
The last theory talks about Rey Rivera's best friend, Porter Stansberry who constantly refused to give any interview about Rey's disappearance. Furthermore, Rey worked in Stansberry's company, which took no time to put a gag order on its employees the minute they discovered Rey Rivera's dead body has been found.
The investigators couldn't connect with the people Rey worked with, and this complicated the case even more. In the Unsolved Mysteries episode, one of the homicide detectives talked about Porter Stansberry's suspicious behavior, saying:
Stansberry, would not even return our calls, would not talk to us, would not give us any answers... I think to the normal person, to me, that's really suspicious.
Allison described the camaraderie between Rey and Porter, who had known each other since the age of 15. The two were pretty close and shared great fun moments. However, the sudden change in his behavior and constant refusal to help out the Rivera family made everyone suspicious.
However, nothing could help the Rivera family and detectives to reach the exact cause of Rey Rivera's death. As shown at the end of the Unsolved Mysteries episode, the medical examination result has left Rey's case open without any conclusion.
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