In the early morning hours of a Sunday in Allentown, Pennsylvania, the life of 28-year-old Blessing Alida Taveras was tragically cut short. On January 22, 2023, at approximately 4:15 a.m., law enforcement officers responded to a report of a shooting in the 1000 block of Union Boulevard. Upon their arrival, they discovered Taveras with a wound consistent with a gunshot.
Emergency medical services were administered at the scene before she was transported to a local hospital, where she ultimately succumbed to her injuries. The Lehigh County Coroner's Office later confirmed that the cause of death was a gunshot wound and ruled the manner of death a homicide.
The investigation into the shooting revealed that it occurred at an after-hours club. Shortly after Taveras was found, a 28-year-old man arrived at a different hospital by private vehicle with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to his leg. Authorities believed the two incidents were connected. The investigation was a collaborative effort involving the Allentown Police Department, the Lehigh County Homicide Task Force, and the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office.
For over a year, the case remained under active investigation until a significant break led to the identification of a suspect. In February 2025, authorities announced the arrest of Alberto Jose Rios-Santiago, a 26-year-old man from Deltona, Florida. He was taken into custody in Florida and awaited extradition to Pennsylvania to face charges in connection with the deadly shooting.
Following his extradition, Rios-Santiago was charged with criminal homicide, two counts of aggravated assault, and one count of possessing an instrument of a crime. It was revealed that in addition to the fatal shooting of Taveras, two men were wounded in the incident but survived. Investigators determined that Rios-Santiago had fired several shots from a handgun before fleeing the scene. In April 2025, a preliminary hearing was held, and all charges against him were held for court. Rios-Santiago is being held in Lehigh County Jail without bail and was scheduled for a formal arraignment in June 2025. The case is set to be prosecuted by the Lehigh County District Attorney's Office.
