A man arrested in Honduras for raping and killing a 5-year-old girl in North Philly more than two decades ago will be brought back to the United States to face charges, federal authorities said Thursday.
FBI agents took Alexis Flores into custody in the Central American country on Wednesday, nearly 26 years after Iriana DeJesus was killed in July 2000. DeJesus had gone missing from her family’s home in Hunting Park late that month and her body was found days later in an apartment about a block away. Investigators said the girl had been raped and strangled.
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“After more than 25 years on the run, this arrest proves time and distance do not shield violent offenders from justice,” FBI director Kash Patel said in a social media post Thursday. “… We will never stop pursuing those who harm our most vulnerable.”
Flores, a native of Honduras, was deported to his country of birth in 2005, two years before he was identified as a suspect in DeJesus’ death. He was on the FBI’s Most Wanted list for nearly two decades before being removed last year.
Police initially believed DeJesus may have been killed by a drifter neighbors knew by the name Carlos, but investigators were unable to track the man down. Flores, who had left Philadelphia, was later charged with forgery in Arizona in 2004. As part of that felony arrest Flores was required to submit a DNA sample, which was entered into a national database and later matched with genetic material collected from the scene where DeJesus’ body was found. A federal warrant was issued for Flores’ arrest in 2007.
The FBI’s online wanted poster for Flores, which shows a series of mugshot photos over the years, now lists him as “captured.” The poster includes three different possible dates of birth ranging from 1975 to 1982.
Flores was wanted for murder, kidnapping, indecent assault and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. The FBI did not say where in Honduras he was arrested.