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Funeral held for woman found dead in suitcase

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NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (AP) — Family and friends have gathered for the funeral of a 24-year-old New York woman who was found dead in a suitcase in Connecticut.

The service for Valerie Reyes was held Wednesday at St. Gabriel's Church in New Rochelle, New York, a day after police announced her former boyfriend had been charged in connection with her death.

Relatives said the arrest of 24-year-old Javier Da Silva Rojas has brought them some peace.

Town workers in Greenwich, Connecticut, found Reyes' body in a suitcase Feb. 5, six days after she was reported missing.

Federal authorities have charged Rojas, of Queens, New York, with kidnapping resulting in death, which carries a potential penalty of death or life in prison. A lawyer for Rojas declined to comment.