There's an Unsettling Rey Rivera Update In His Unsolved Case

(Image credit: Courtesy of Netflix)

published 4 August 2020

Content warning: reference to suicide, violence, death. One of the most enduring episodes of Netflix's Unsolved Mysteries is the story of Rey Rivera. A loving husband and aspiring writer, he was suddenly called away from his Baltimore home and disappeared—later found dead in a conference room of one of the city's hotels. His death was ruled a suicide, but investigators, as well as Rivera's family, make clear in the episode that the unusual features of the case call that into question. There's a lot that's strange about this story, including a mysterious note he wrote the day he died that seemed to point to Freemasonry; theories have abounded about what may have happened to him. After the Unsolved episode came out, even more information has surfaced about Rivera's death. So what do we know right now?

A mysterious person attempted to determine the status of Rey Rivera's computers.

Speaking on the You Can't Make This Up podcast and reported by Cosmo UK, Unsolved Mysteries creator Terry Dunn Meurer divulged that an unidentified someone was very interested in Rivera's computers once they had been taken by the police...and even tried to pick them up (!).

"When Allison [Rivera's wife] went to the police station to pick up Rey’s computer, the detective mentioned someone had called a couple of times and asked to pick up the computers and was very interested in the status of the computers. Allison was very troubled."

This is info that wasn't covered in the episode—but, considering what was covered in the episode, it's an intriguing additional detail that does seem to support the assertion that something strange happened to Rivera. He was reportedly terrified in the days leading up to his death, according to his wife, but wouldn't confide in her about what was bothering him. Allison said that their security system was tripped twice in those few weeks, but no one was found breaking and entering into the house. Was there information in Rivera's computer that was important?

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Rivera also received a mysterious phone call the day he died.

The emergency phone call that made Rivera dash off suddenly that day (never to be seen by his family again) was traced to his workplace. But it was never determined who that person was or what the phone call was about—and whatever transpired, it could offer important clues about what happened to him.

"One of the most baffling parts of this case is someone made that phone call to Rey and they’ve never come forward," Dunn said on the podcast. "We’d love for someone to come forward and tell us what that phone call was about."

WATCH 'UNSOLVED MYSTERIES' ON NETFLIX

Katherine’s a contributing syndications editor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle. In her role, she writes stories that are syndicated by MSN and other outlets. She’s been a full-time freelancer for over a decade and has had roles with Cosmopolitan (where she covered lifestyle, culture, and fashion SEO content) and Bustle (where she was their movies and culture writer). She has bylines in New York Times, Parents, InStyle, Refinery29, and elsewhere. Her work has also been syndicated by ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, Seventeen, Good Housekeeping, and Women’s Health, among others. In addition to her stories reaching millions of readers, content she's written and edited has qualified for a Bell Ringer Award and received a Communicator Award.

Katherine has a BA in English and art history from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in art business from the Sotheby's Institute of Art (with a focus on marketing/communications). She covers a wide breadth of topics: she's written about how to find the very best petite jeans, how sustainable travel has found its footing on Instagram, and what it's like to be a professional advice-giver in the modern world. Her personal essays have run the gamut from learning to dress as a queer woman to navigating food allergies as a mom. She also has deep knowledge of SEO/EATT, affiliate revenue, commerce, and social media; she regularly edits the work of other writers. She speaks at writing-related events and podcasts about freelancing and journalism, mentors students and other new writers, and consults on coursework. Currently, Katherine lives in Boston with her husband and two kids, and you can follow her on Instagram. If you're wondering about her last name, it’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.