How anonymous Reddit tipster helped identify Brown shooting suspect Claudio Manuel Neves

PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND: The Providence Police Department released a new affidavit revealing that a tip from an anonymous Reddit post played a crucial role in the investigation linked to the shootings at Brown University and the killing of an MIT professor.

According to the affidavit and court filings, the Reddit user shared specific details about a vehicle seen near the Brown University shooting scene and provided information that had not yet been made public.

Viral Reddit tip advances Brown University shooting investigation

As the Reddit post went viral, investigators traced the user, interviewed the individual, and corroborated the tip through surveillance footage, rental car records, and other evidence.

The alleged suspect, Claudio Manuel Neves-Valente, 48, was later identified as a person of interest in both the Brown University shooting and the shooting of MIT professor Nuno Loureiro in Brookline.

Valente was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at a storage facility in Salem, New Hampshire, bringing an end to a multi-state manhunt, police officials revealed. Though viral claims online suggested that "Reddit solved the case before police", some investigators pushed back against that framing. 

Law enforcement officials told a news agency and The Boston Globe that the online post was one of many leads that aided the investigation, alongside license-plate readers, surveillance cameras, ballistic evidence, and inter-agency coordination.

Meanwhile, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha shared an affidavit stating, "On December 16, 2025, the tip command center received information from an anonymous source referencing a Reddit post from the Providence sub-Reddit. The then anonymous tipster stated the Reddit poster said they saw the suspected shooter walking in the area. Investigators obtained a copy of the Reddit post."

The Reddit post further added, "I'm being dead serious. The police need to look into a grey Nissan with Florida plates, possibly a rental. That was the car he was driving. It was parked in front of the little shack behind the Rhode Island Historical Society on the Cooke St side." 

"I know because he used his key fob to open the car, approached it, and then something prompted him to back away. When he backed away, he relocked the car. I found that odd, so when he circled the block, I approached the car, and that is when I saw the Florida plates. He was parked in the section between the gate of the RIHS and the corner of Cooke and George St," the post mentioned. 

Neronha publicly credited the individual for providing information that accelerated the investigation, according to The Boston Globe. The person who made the post identified himself as John. 

Witness John details suspect movements in Brown University shooting

The affidavit stated that John told investigators he first encountered the suspect inside a bathroom on the ground floor of the Barus Holley building, just to the right of the entrance, on December 13, 2025, between 1:45 and 2:00 pm.

He further described Valente’s clothing as "inappropriate and inadequate for the weather", noting that the jacket and gloves appeared flimsy, the affidavit said. 

According to the affidavit, "He described the clothing, including the jacket as baggy, with at least two undergarment shirt layers (one of which has a brand style logo in the bottom right corner; John believes the logo was a name brand, possibly LL Bean)."

The affidavit also noted that John described the suspect’s pants and shoes as the type worn by kitchen or restaurant workers and "of poor quality". He added that a large face mask covered the lower half of the suspect’s face.

Meanwhile, John believed the suspect was wearing glasses and described his skin as "weathered" with a "cinnamon-colored complexion". He also estimated that the suspect’s eyes were brown and that his face appeared slightly chubby, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit further stated that John saw the suspect exit the building into the parking lot. John remained at the entrance until the individual walked up Manning Street, after which John followed him.