Fugitive Arrested in Honduras for 2000 Murder of 5-Year-Old Philadelphia Girl After Decades on FBI Most Wanted List
TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURAS – Alexis Flores, a fugitive who has spent nearly two decades on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list for the kidnapping and murder of 5-year-old Iriana DeJesus, was arrested Wednesday in Honduras. The arrest marks the end of a 25-year manhunt that began with a grisly discovery in a Philadelphia basement and spanned international borders.
Flores was taken into custody by agents from the Transnational Anti-Gang Task Force, a unit coordinating with U.S. authorities. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the apprehension, stating that the arrest proves “time and distance do not shield violent offenders from justice.” Flores is currently being held by Honduran authorities as extradition proceedings to the United States commence.
Deep Search: The Operation and Extradition
The breakthrough in the cold case came through coordinated efforts between U.S. federal agents and local Honduran law enforcement. Flores, who is now approximately 50 years old, was located and detained on February 11, 2026. Following his capture, he was transferred to the Supreme Court of Justice in Tegucigalpa for an initial information hearing regarding the U.S. extradition request. He faces charges in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for murder and other felonies, as well as a federal charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. The legal process in Honduras will now determine the timeline for his return to American soil to face trial.
Objections: A System Failure That Cost Decades
While the arrest brings a sense of resolution, it also reignites scrutiny over the systemic failures that allowed Flores to evade justice for a quarter-century. Critics and legal observers have long pointed to the botched handling of Flores in the mid-2000s as a catastrophic error. Flores was actually in U.S. custody in Arizona in 2004 for forgery charges but was deported to Honduras in 2005—two years before his DNA was matched to the crime scene in Philadelphia. This administrative gap allowed a suspected child murderer to be released by the very government seeking him, raising serious questions about inter-agency communication and DNA processing delays that left the DeJesus family waiting decades for answers.
Background Info: The “Carlos” Alias and the Crime
Iriana DeJesus disappeared from her home in North Philadelphia in late July 2000. She was found days later, strangled to death in the basement of an empty apartment building. At the time, police sought a local handyman known only as “Carlos,” who had befriended the community before abruptly vanishing. It wasn’t until 2007 that the DNA collected from the Philadelphia crime scene was matched to the sample taken from Flores during his incarceration in Arizona. He was subsequently added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in June 2007, with a reward of up to $250,000 offered for information leading to his capture.
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