If you enjoy True Crime stories, then An Unexplained Death by Mikita Brottman is the book for you!
I first found out about the book from my sister. She listens to the Monsters in the Morning, a radio show in Orlando, Florida. That morning they were discussing the book. The man featured in the novel is the late Rey Rivera, brother of Angel Rivera, who produces the Monsters in the Morning radio show on RealRadio 104.1. Angel mentioned the book on his show, talked about losing his brother nearly 14 years ago, and the fact that his death has never been explained. The Rivera brothers grew up in Winter Park, Florida near Orlando where I live, so there is a community connection to this book.
On Tuesday, May 16, 2006, Rey Rivera went missing in Baltimore, Maryland. The author of the book remembers seeing Rivera’s missing posters when walking her dog. Eventually, Rivera’s body is found in the building, the Belvedere, where the author, Ms. Brottman, lives.
The hotel itself almost becomes a character in this story. The Belvedere was a well known hotel in Baltimore before it was turned into a condominium. It still holds weddings and events in the beautiful ballroom and houses The Owl Bar, which has been there since the Belvedere opened in 1903. In its heyday, the Belvedere hosted guests that included Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy, as well as actor Clark Gable.
Ms. Brottman, a writer and professor of humanities at the Maryland Institute College of Art, begins to investigate Rivera’s death, since it was ruled “unexplained”. No one knows if Rey’s death was a suicide or if he was pushed off of the building. For 11 years Brottman has meticulously poured over police reports, leads, talked to family members, etc. in an attempt to find out what happened to Rey Rivera. She even receives some anonymous phone calls asking her not to investigate Rey’s death. The author also delves into other deaths and suicides that have occurred at the Belvedere over time.
The unexplained case of Rey Rivera is slated to be featured on Netflix’s new revamp of the Unexplained Mysteries show. I will definitely be watching that episode to see if they can help the family find out what happened to their loved one, Rey Rivera, on May 6, 2006 once and for all.
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