City Detectives Fly to Florida to Crack 2012 Murder Case

A Cranston murder suspect has a plane ticket back to Rhode Island from Florida and his carry-on baggage won't be much more than a pair of handcuffs and an officer from the Rhode Island Sherriff's Department thanks to some high-flying Cranston detectives.

The arrest comes after a lengthy and exhaustive investigation by Cranston Police that began in the early morning hours of June. 30, 2012, when police found a man who had been beaten and run over by a car and ended this week when Det. Capt. Sean Carmody and Dets. John Ryan and Robert Lindsay flew to Sarasota., Fla, where they worked with local law enforcement to bring murder charges against Carlos Manuel Reyes-Sanchez, 30.

Police said 49-year-old Victor Baez of Third Avenue in the Elmwood Section of Cranston was beaten and run over by Sanchez after a fight that started after an altercation at a Providence nightclub that spilled over into an after-hours party at a house in Providence.

Baez fled the scene of the second fight and took a taxi back home to Cranston and when he arrived just before 6 a.m. he was approached by an assailant and at least one other person who severely beat him and then ran him over as they sped off.

Baez succomed to his injuries at Rhode Island Hospital nearly four months later on May 26 and the Medical Examiner ruled the cause of death was blunt force trauma.

Cranston detectives worked steadily on the case for the next year, conducting numerous interviews and by October of 2013, they were working with the Boston Police Department, which "developed additional information" that led investigators to Florida to "follow up on a strong lead in the case," said Cranston Police Major Robert W. Ryan.

Cranston detectives flew to Clearwater, Fla., on Oct. 25 to follow up on the lead. That gave them more insight, setting the stage for the three detectives to fly to Sarasota on Monday, where they worked with the Sarasota County Sheriff's Department.

By Wednesday, "it was determined that there was enough valid information to sustain a criminal charge of homicide in the first degree against Sanchez," Ryan said.

Rhode Island District Court Judge William C. Clifton signed an arrest warrant and Sanchez was taken into custody on Wednesday in Sarasota, where he is now being held without bail awaiting extradition.

Sanchez was reportedly working at the Resort at Longboat Key Club at the time of his arrest and was actually arrested two days earlier on a driving with a suspended license and marijuana possession charges. He was released on $620 bond.

Police said Sanchez agreed to waive his right to fight extradition in Florida and he will be picked up early next week by the Rhode Island Division of Sherriff’s Department and flown back to Rhode Island, where he will be turned over to the custody of the Cranston Police for processing and arraignment. Additional information regarding this case will be provided when it becomes available.