Estranged husband, father-in-law named persons of interest in disappearance of missing Osceola woman

Oct. 26--The estranged husband and father-in-law of a 35-year-old missing woman have been named persons of interest in her disappearance by the Osceola Sheriff's Office, according to a news report.

Christopher Otero-Rivera and his father Angel Luis Rivera were arrested Friday on charges unrelated to the disappearance of Nicole Montalvo but are now part of the investigation, said sheriff's office spokesman Major Jacob Ruiz.

Otero-Rivera was arrested on charges of violation of probation while his father was arrested on charges of violating registered felon restrictions.

Osceola County Sheriff Russ Gibson said investigators on Friday found potential human remains at the St. Cloud property owned by Otero-Rivera's parents where Montalvo was last seen.

Gibson told reporters during a brief press conference the remains have yet to be identified. He did not release further details.

Montalvo was supposed to pick up her son from school Tuesday, but never showed up. Deputies started searching the property in the 3900 block of Hixon Avenue where Montalvo's estranged husband and his parents live. Montalvo was last seen at the home dropping off her son Monday.

Montalvo and her ex-husband were in the process of separating at the time of her disappearance, Ruiz said.

In October 2018, Montalvo accused her estranged husband of beating and kidnapping her, as well as stealing her cash and credit cards, court records show.

Otero-Rivera was arrested on charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, kidnapping, robbery, battery, tampering with a witness and unlawful possession of a stolen credit card, according to an affidavit from the Osceola Sheriff's Office.

Montalvo told deputies she got a text Oct. 3, 2018, from her husband, who she was separated from, saying the battery in his truck was dead and he needed a ride, the affidavit said. Montalvo picked up Otero-Rivera at a Walmart in St. Cloud, and he directed her toward Southport Road in Poinciana.

Once she got to an isolated location, Montalvo told deputies a vehicle pulled up behind and a woman she knew got out and came up to the driver's side door. The woman then opened the door and pulled Montalvo out of the car, throwing her to the ground and tearing her shirt, according to the report.

Montalvo said her estranged husband then got out of her car and climbed on her chest while the woman stuffed a cloth in her mouth, preventing her from breathing. She told deputies she was able to spit out the cloth, but the woman shoved it back in her mouth and covered Montalvo's mouth and nose, the report said.

The woman stopped covering Montalvo's mouth, but Otero-Rivera stayed on her chest and slapped his wife across the face several times because "he didn't like that Nicole was talking to a friend via text and for taking his son," according to the affidavit.

After Otero-Rivera went through her phone, Montalvo told deputies he got upset and threw her to the ground by grabbing her hair. Her husband grabbed her head and attempted to break Montalvo's neck as she struggled to get free, the report said.

After Montalvo was let go, she said the woman put a knife to her neck and threatened to slit her throat if she told anyone what happened. Otero-Rivera made his wife drive him to a RaceTrac gas station on Pleasant Hill Road as the woman followed behind them, then took Montalvo's card to pay for gas.

"While at the gas station, Christopher told Nicole that she was to tell her mother and father that some black guys jumped her at a red light," the affidavit said. "Christopher told Nicole that if she called the police or told anyone the truth, that he and [the woman] would 'come after' and she would be 'killed.'"

Montalvo told deputies her husband then forced her to drop him off at the Friendly Village Inn. When she got back home, she noticed she was missing $40 and several bank cards, the report said.

When deputies met Montalvo at her St. Cloud home, her face was swollen and red, and her lips had dried blood on them. St. Cloud Police found Montalvo's cards and $37 cash in her husband's wallet.

Otero-Rivera took a plea deal where he did not contest the charges of battery, tampering with a witness and unlawful possession of stolen cards. He was sentenced to probation and nearly a year in the Osceola County Jail with credit for time served. He was also not supposed to have contact with Montalvo except through a parent communication app.

Staff writer Cristóbal Reyes contributed to this story.

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