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Fairfield County resident Sergio Reyes-Cordero of Norwalk was extradited from Georgia to Connecticut on Thursday, Aug. 1, and charged in connection with the death of 26-year-old Bridgeport resident Leah Chapparo, Connecticut State Police announced on Friday, Aug. 2.
Chapparo's body was found on Sunday, Feb. 18 on Glen Road (Route 53) in the Fairfield County town of Redding, according to police.
During the months-long investigation that followed the discovery of her body, police determined that a telephone number belonging to Reyes-Cordero was allegedly the last number Chapparo's cell phone had been in contact with, according to Reyes-Cordero's arrest warrant.
Authorities also learned that Reyes-Cordero had left his primary vehicle, a blue 2004 Toyota Echo, in Connecticut while he unexpectedly left for Georgia for an unknown amount of time. He had also had the Echo cleaned and advised someone he knew that they could sell the car, the warrant said.
The warrant also reveals that investigators also looked at Reyes-Cordero's cell phone records and determined he had been driving in the town of Redding days before Chapparo's body was found on Thursday, Feb. 15.
As the investigation into the death continued, an unidentified person also gave an interview with investigators in late April claiming that Reyes-Cordero and Chapparo had been partying at the former's apartment when Chapparo overdosed. Reyes-Cordero then became scared and placed her body in his car before calling a friend to help him, the warrant said.
The person who gave the interview then told investigators that on Friday, Feb. 16, Reyes-Cordero and the unknown friend drove to Redding to find a place to put Chapparo's body and discarded her cell phone, the warrant continues.
According to the warrant, Chapparo's autopsy tested positive for alcohol, cocaine, THC, nicotine, and caffeine. However, her cause of death was undetermined.
A search conducted of Reyes-Cordero's apartment during the investigation revealed that he had the place cleaned before he left, the warrant stated.
Based on the findings of the investigation and statements given, a warrant for Reyes-Cordero's arrest was applied for and granted. He was eventually arrested in Georgia on Friday, July 12, by the Clayton County Police Department.
Once he was brought to Connecticut, he was charged with:
- Improper removal/disposal of a body;
- Four counts of tampering with physical evidence.
He was held on a $500,000 bond and scheduled for arraignment on Friday at Danbury Superior Court, police said, adding that the investigation is ongoing.
This continues to be a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
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