Rey Rivera's episode takes internet by storm as viewers weed out 'fake' theories

Rey Rivera, the subject of first episode of Netflix's Unsolved Mystries, was an aspiring filmmaker and former editor of a financial newsletter. He was last seen alive when he left his Northwood residence on May 16, 2006. A week later, his decomposed body was found in an abandoned meeting room of Baltimore's Belvedere Hotel.


Devdiscourse News Desk | Baltimore | Updated: 03-07-2020 12:00 IST | Created: 03-07-2020 12:00 IST
Rey Rivera's episode takes internet by storm as viewers weed out 'fake' theories
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Netflix has dropped its much-awaited series called 'Unsolved Mysteries' on July 1 and its first episode titled “Mystery on the Rooftop” explores the case of Rey Rivera who mysteriously died in 2006 in a prominent Baltimore hotel. The episode has taken the internet by storm and social media platforms with interesting theories and counter-theories about the case.

Rey Rivera was an aspiring filmmaker and former editor of a financial newsletter. He was last seen alive when he left his Northwood residence on May 16, 2006. A week later, his decomposed body was found in an abandoned meeting room of Baltimore's Belvedere Hotel. Rivera died due to falling from the top of the hotel and landed in the abandoned meeting room making a hole in its roof.

There are several theories about his death with some people claiming that Rey Rivers "jumped to his death" while others claiming that he was "silenced for the things he knew." Keen viewers of the show aren't leaving any stone unturned to give logical theories about the case, with people digging up his past life as well as the old documents about the investigation and doing the math on distance, speed, and force that could have resulted in a hole in the roof.

Theory: Suicide

Netflix's Unsolved Mysteries viewers who claim that Rey Rivera died by suicide seem to believe that he had signs of paranoic delusions citing claims that his wife has talked about Rivera becoming extremely protective of her and the mysterious note which "doesn't make sense" (to those viewers). It has also been claimed that the note isn't even meant as a suicide note and it just shows Rivera's bad mental state on the day he died. 

Theory: Murder

The very fact that the case inspired an episode of Netflix's Unsolved Mysteries is enough to prove that it might be bigger than a suicide case (even if it is suicide after all). Several theories revolving around Rivera’s work with Agora Inc and Rey Rivera's childhood friend Porter Stansberry have also surfaced. Mysterious facts and findings including the "unclear" nature of his broken legs, broken cameras, missing money pin, and undamaged cellphone despite a catastrophic fall have driven theories that Rey Riveria's death might not have been due to suicide.

The Science

Viewers have claimed by quoting few reports filed in 2007 that Rey Rivera would have run off the hotel's roof to be pushed hard enough to gain speed of around 11-12 miles per hour (mph) to land where he did and make a hole in the abandoned meeting room's roof. Worth noting is the fact that Rivera was a heavily-built 6'5 man weighing 280 lbs.

Finally, the mysterious note

The note left by Rey Rivera in a small font was found taped to Rivera’s laptop screen begins and ends with Freemason-related verbiage and also contained a list of names – close friends, a family of Rivera, and a couple of celebrities. The episode has definitely left many questions unanswered.

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