Woman Arrested Overseas and Set for Extradition After Shocking Discovery

Months after a young woman’s body was discovered stuffed inside a futon in her Philadelphia apartment, the prime suspect has been arrested halfway across the world.

Gerelys Sanchez-Reyes, 28, was taken into custody in Madrid, Spain, and is now set to be extradited back to the United States, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. She’s expected to face murder charges in connection to the gruesome death of 21-year-old Yuleisy Carolina Torrelles Martinez.

Martinez’s body was found on the morning of April 5 after friends reported not hearing from her for several days. When officers arrived at her apartment on the 4400 block of Frankford Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia with a search warrant, they found a nightmare scene: Martinez was dead, wrapped in a shower curtain, and hidden inside a futon. She had suffered multiple stab wounds to her neck and torso.

Just a week later, Sanchez-Reyes was identified as a suspect, and police issued an arrest warrant. But she had vanished. Her sudden appearance in Spain raised even more questions about her possible motives and connections abroad.

Martinez had been living in Philadelphia for less than a year and was working as a waitress. Those who knew her described her as friendly and full of promise.

“She came in about a year ago to purchase furniture for her apartment,” said Angel Cardona, a local business owner. “It’s very tragic and mind-blowing… 21 years old, just starting out in life. My heart and prayers go out to her family and everyone who knew her.”

Authorities have not confirmed how the suspect and victim knew each other or why Sanchez-Reyes fled to Europe. Her arrest was announced Thursday by the Philadelphia branch of the U.S. Marshals.

The case has shaken the local community and continues to raise unsettling questions about what really happened behind closed doors in that small Northeast Philly apartment.