Former FBI most wanted fugitive extradited to Philadelphia to face charges in killing of 5-year-old in 2000
A former FBI 10 Most Wanted fugitive was extradited Monday to Philadelphia to face charges in the 2000 killing of 5-year-old Iriana DeJesus.
Alexis Flores was returned to the city to face charges of kidnapping, rape and murder in the death of DeJesus, the Philadelphia Police Department said.
Police said Flores was captured on Feb. 11 in Lepaera, Honduras, with the help of the FBI's Transnational Anti-Gang Task Force and Honduran authorities.
"For more than 25 years, Iriana's family has lived with an unimaginable loss while waiting for this day," Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel said in a statement. "Alexis Flores may have crossed borders and spent decades trying to escape responsibility, but our commitment to Iriana and her family never stopped. His return to Philadelphia is the result of extraordinary persistence by our homicide investigators and the FBI, together with our international partners in Honduras. We are deeply grateful to everyone who helped bring him back to face justice. Iriana was only 5 years old. We have never forgotten her, and we never will."
DeJesus was reported missing by her mother on July 29, 2000, after disappearing while playing outside her home on the 3900 block of North Fairhill Street in the city's Hunting Park neighborhood, police said. Her body was discovered inside a vacant property on Aug. 3 under renovation at 3902 North 6th St. Police said investigators determined she was sexually assaulted and killed.
During the investigation, police said detectives developed a suspect known as "Carlos" who had reportedly been staying at the property where DeJesus was found. He disappeared from the neighborhood around the same time DeJesus was reported missing, according to police.
In 2007, police said DNA evidence collected in Philadelphia was matched through the Combined DNA Index System to Flores. His DNA was obtained after an unrelated arrest in Arizona, police said. Flores was then added to the FBI's 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list on June 2, 2007.
Detectives with the Philadelphia Police Department kept working on the case alongside the FBI for more than two decades until Flores was arrested and extradited back to the city.
"The return of Alexis Flores to Philadelphia demonstrates our unwavering commitment to pursuing fugitives wherever they may run, no matter how much time has passed," Wayne A. Jacobs, special agent in charge of FBI Philadelphia, said in a statement. " I commend the agents, analysts, professional staff, and our law enforcement partners, both here and abroad for their persistence and dedication, which have brought us to this moment. Their work sends a clear message: time and distance does not deter the resolve of law enforcement in the pursuit of justice for victims, their loved ones, and their community."