Estranged husband of missing Osceola County mother makes first appearance in court
Father and son now persons of interest in search for missing mom
The father-in-law and estranged husband of a missing Osceola County mother are now persons of interest in the case.
ST. CLOUD, Fla. - The estranged husband of missing mother Nicole Montalvo went before a judge in Osceola County Saturday morning.
Christopher Otero-Rivera is a person of interest in the disappearance of the 33-year-old Montalvo. However, he has not been charged with her disappearance.
His appearance on Saturday morning was for a violation of probation.
Person of interest in missing mom case in court
Christopher Otero Rivera faced a judge on Saturday for a charge of violating probation. The judge asked him to redo his first appearance on Sunday to clarify his probation status. The charge is unrelated to the disappearance of his estranged wife, Nicole Montalvo.
During his appearance, Otero-Rivera didn't say anything except for his name and date of birth. The judge appointed him a public defender, who asked for a bond of $1,500 citing it was a misdemeanor. The state asked for no bond.
The judge, stating that she doesn't have a warrant, decided to hold him on no bond and his appearance will be bumped to Sunday so they can get the proper documents in order.
Remains believed to be those of a human were found on Friday in the search for Montalvo. Montalvo was reported missing on Wednesday but was last seen on Monday when she dropped off her son with the child's father, Otero-Rivera, around 5:00 p.m. Deputies on Friday were searching the property of a St. Cloud home on Hixon Ave. belonging to Otero-Rivera's parents.
Otero-Rivera and his father, Angel Luis Rivera, were both arrested on Friday afternoon on unrelated charges as authorities are now saying they are an integral part of the investigation into Montalvo's disappearance.
"Christopher Otero-Rivera has been arrested for violation of probation and the father, Angel Luis Rivera, has been arrested on charges related to being a registered felon," explained Major Jacob Ruiz with the Osceola County Sheriff's Office. "They are persons of interest, based on the discovery at the scene."
Deputies said Otero-Rivera was arrested last year, accused of robbery, kidnapping and aggravated assault involving Montalvo. Authorities said there is a history of domestic violence between the two. According to court documents, just two weeks ago, Montalvo wrote a judge requesting that an order of protection be dropped.
Montalvo and Otero-Rivera filed for divorce on Feb. 4, 2019, are still not legally divorced, according to authorities.
According to deputies, Montalvo was supposed to pick up her son from Harmony Community School on Tuesday afternoon, but she never showed up, and her cellphone has been turned off ever since.
"We believe she has disappeared under suspicious circumstances," said Major Ruiz during a news conference on Thursday. "She disappeared out of the blue on Monday night, with no trace or any communication with anybody. She didn’t come the next day to pick up her son. That’s completely out of character for her."
The medical examiner was called to the home on the 3900 block of Hixon Ave. but it is not immediately known whether the remains found are those of a man or of a woman.