The FBI has ruled the note left by Rey Rivera, the aspiring filmmaker and editor for a local publishing firm found dead in an office of The Belvedere, is not a suicide note, according to sources familiar with the investigation.
The ruling comes as more members of Rivera?s immediate family insist that he was a victim of foul play.
Rivera?s older brother, Angel, told The Examiner in an exclusive interview that he is not surprised by the FBI?s conclusion.
“I found the note, and it was just stream of consciousness, nothing more,” he said.
“You have to understand that Rey was a writer,” he said, describing the note as a type of poem.
Angel said he also reviewed all of his brother?s journals, diaries and computer files and found nothing indicating Rey was either suicidal or fearing for his life.
Instead, Angel said, he believes his brother was murdered.
“My own personal opinion, either he was aware of or had some information that was frightening to somebody,” Angel said. “Somebody did not want Rey to leave Baltimore.”
Rey Rivera, a screenwriter and former editor for Stansberry Associates, a local financial publisher, disappeared without a trace May 16 after leaving his home suddenly.
His body was found 10 days later in an empty office on the second floor of The Belvedere Hotel in Mount Vernon. A hole in the roof of the office, which juts away from the main tower, suggested that Rivera either fell or was pushed from the upper floors of the 13-story building.
A note found by Angel at the time of Rey?s death was turned over to the FBI by the Baltimore City Police Department for analysis.
But Angel said he believes the note is a “red herring,” and the clues to what happened to Rey lie somewhere in the building where his body was found.
“The answers are at The Belvedere,” he said. “My brother was 6 foot 5 inches ? someone had to have heard or seen something.”
Baltimore City police spokesman Matt Jablow said police have yet to discover evidence indicating that Rivera was killed.
“There is no physical evidence to suggest that Mr. Rivera?s death was anything but a suicide, ” Jablow said. “But we are still investigating.”
Toxicology tests performed during the autopsy found no alcohol or drugs in Rivera?s system, his brother said.
Angel Rivera said that in the months leading up to his brother?s death, he had made plans to return to Los Angeles and pursue a career in film.
“He already had several clients lined up and was gearing up to move,” he said.
Angel said he knows the police are working hard on the case, but he thinks his brother?s death was the result of foul play.
“Everyone who knows Rey thinks that something real sinister went down,” he said.
