REHOBOTH, MA – The search for an 18-year-old woman who vanished earlier this month ended in tragedy after law enforcement recovered her body at a rural property southwest of Boston. A 22-year-old man has been charged in connection with her death after authorities say he killed and secretly buried her on his family’s land.
Gregory Groom stands accused of murder, assault and battery on a pregnant person, and witness intimidation in the death of his girlfriend, Kylee Monteiro. Groom appeared in court Wednesday following the grim discovery of Monteiro’s remains late Tuesday.
According to investigators, Groom initially called local police on August 8, reporting Monteiro as missing. He claimed the two argued at his home on August 6, after which she stormed out and had not been heard from since. Monteiro, he said, was known to be active on social media, but her accounts had gone silent after her disappearance.
Family members grew increasingly concerned after a distressing message surfaced. Monteiro’s sister told detectives she received a text from Kylee on the evening of August 6. In the message, Monteiro claimed she had been assaulted, strangled, and feared for her life, specifically naming Groom as her alleged attacker. Attempts by her family to reach her in the following days were unsuccessful.
At an initial court hearing, prosecutors revealed that Monteiro was 11 weeks pregnant when she was killed. The case took on added urgency as the search for her intensified across a sprawling 25-acre property owned by Groom’s family. On August 14, police, aided by cadaver dogs and emergency response teams, combed the grounds but did not discover any evidence.
The investigation progressed after another interview with Groom on Tuesday. Confronted with the prospect of another search, detectives urged him to cooperate. According to court documents, Groom ultimately provided officers with a hand-drawn map highlighting an area near a shed on the property.
Investigators say Groom then confessed to stabbing Monteiro multiple times during a violent altercation on August 6. He recounted burying her in a hand-dug grave after killing her with a kitchen knife that broke during the attack. Groom also allegedly detailed the process of concealing the grave, explaining he buried her under five feet of soil after spending hours digging.
Crime scene teams followed Groom’s directions to a shed, where they first encountered a large pile of brush. Beneath the debris, officers found a bloodstain. Nearby, they uncovered a large section of recently disturbed earth beneath a pile of cut trees. After removing the surface layer, detectives discovered Monteiro’s remains.
Efforts earlier this month to aid in searching for Monteiro have now shifted. Her family launched a fundraising campaign, which originally sought resources to help find her, but will now be directed toward funeral expenses.
The family expressed gratitude for widespread support from the community, saying the discovery, while devastating, provided much-needed closure as the case moves toward prosecution. Groom remains in custody without bail and is scheduled for his next court appearance on September 10.