Missing mother of 5 found dead in Feltonville basement

FELTONVILLE (WTXF) - Family members have confirmed that the female body found in a Feltonville basement is that of  Vianela Tavera, who was previously reported missing from New York.

Officers discovered Tavera's body in the basement of a home on the 400 block of West Roosevelt Boulevard in Feltonville.

Detectives were called to the neighborhood after numerous complains regarding a suspicious odor emitting from the home.

When officers entered the home, they found a badly decomposed female body. Family members confirmed to FOX 29 that the body was that of 50-year-old Tavera.

Police say the body was severely decomposed and therefore they were unable to identify her.

Tavera, a mother of five from New York, was last heard from on July 28 when she left to visit her boyfriend in Philadelphia.

On Monday, police in Virginia responded to a medical call for a man inside Tavera's 2013 Acura MDX. Responding officers arrested 38-year-old Luis Negron-Martinez for the theft of Tavera's car. Police found a handgun inside the Acura, but Tavera was not there. Family members say Negron-Martinez was Tavera's long-distance boyfriend.

No further information has been released at this time. This is an ongoing investigation.