Alexis Flores (born July 18, 1975) is a Honduran

fugitive A fugitive (or runaway) is a person who is fleeing from custody, whether it be from jail, a government arrest, government or non-government questioning, vigilante violence, or outraged private individuals. A fugitive from justice, also known ...

murderer Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

and child rapist wanted for the

kidnapping In criminal law, kidnapping is the unlawful confinement of a person against their will, often including transportation/asportation. The asportation and abduction element is typically but not necessarily conducted by means of force or fear: the p ...

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...

, and murder of five-year-old Iriana DeJesus in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, in 2000. Flores is the 487th fugitive to be placed on the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...

's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.

Background

Flores was born in Honduras in 1975, although he has used dates of birth ranging from 1975 to 1982. Flores has a large surgical scar on his neck as a result of an injury sustained in

Hurricane Mitch Hurricane Mitch is the second-deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record, causing over 11,000 fatalities in Central America in 1998, including approximately 7,000 in Honduras and 3,800 in Nicaragua due to cataclysmic flooding from the slow motion ...

in Honduras in 1998.

Kidnapping and murder charges

In summer 2000, a

homeless Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are: * living on the streets, also kn ...

drifter known as "Carlos" (or "Carlo") had been given shelter, clothing and work as a handyman by

Hunting Park Hunting Park is a neighborhood in the North Philadelphia section of the United States city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 2005, the 19140 ZIP code, which roughly consists of Hunting Park and Nicetown–Tioga, had a median home sale price of $ ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, resident Jorge Contreras. On August 3, five days after being reported missing, the body of five-year-old Iriana DeJesus was found in the basement of an empty apartment building where "Carlos" is believed to have stayed. She had been

sexually assaulted Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, which ...

, strangled and wrapped in a trash bag. A T-shirt bearing a distinct political logo was found near Iriana's body with her blood on it. When police questioned Contreras about the shirt, he recognized it as one of the articles of clothing he had lent to "Carlos," who had not been seen in the area since the girl was reported missing. "Carlos" then became wanted for questioning and a sketch of him was profiled on '' America's Most Wanted''.

Arrests and deportation

Flores was arrested for

shoplifting Shoplifting is the theft of goods from an open retail establishment, typically by concealing a store item on one's person, in pockets, under clothes or in a bag, and leaving the store without paying. With clothing, shoplifters may put on items ...

in Arizona in 2002. Two years later, police came to Flores' residence in response to a noise complaint. After giving fraudulent

identity document An identity document (also called ID or colloquially as papers) is any documentation, document that may be used to prove a person's identity. If issued in a small, standard credit card size form, it is usually called an identity card (IC, ID c ...

s to police, Flores was arrested for possession of a

forgery Forgery is a white-collar crime that generally refers to the false making or material alteration of a legal instrument with the specific intent to defraud anyone (other than themself). Tampering with a certain legal instrument may be forbidd ...

device, a

felony A felony is traditionally considered a crime of high seriousness, whereas a misdemeanor is regarded as less serious. The term "felony" originated from English common law (from the French medieval word "félonie") to describe an offense that resu ...

in Arizona. When he was arrested, Flores had a welcoming demeanor, was friendly, and cooperated with the police during questioning. Upon entering his apartment for further investigation, officers noticed pornography spread out across the floors. Flores told immigration officials that he had lived in

Schaumburg Schaumburg is a district (''Landkreis'') of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by (clockwise from the north) the districts of Nienburg, Hanover and Hamelin-Pyrmont, and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (districts of Lippe and Minden-Lübbe ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, prior to living in

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

. He was incarcerated for 60 days and deported to Honduras after his release in June 2005.

DNA match and addition to FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives

In 2006, Flores' DNA sample taken in Arizona was added to the

Combined DNA Index System The Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) is the United States national DNA database created and maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. CODIS consists of three levels of information; Local DNA Index Systems (LDIS) where DNA profiles orig ...

. In March 2007, his DNA sample positively matched DNA found at the crime scene in Philadelphia. It has been determined that "Carlos" and Flores are the same person. On March 22, 2007, a local

arrest warrant An arrest warrant is a warrant issued by a judge or magistrate on behalf of the state, which authorizes the arrest and detention of an individual, or the search and seizure of an individual's property. Canada Arrest warrants are issued by a j ...

was issued in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and Flores was charged with murder and various other felonies. On the same date, a federal arrest warrant for Flores was issued in the

Eastern District of Pennsylvania The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (in case citations, E.D. Pa.) is one of the original 13 federal judiciary districts created by the Judiciary Act of 1789. It originally sat in Independence Hall in Phil ...

, and he was charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. Flores was added to the

's Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list on June 2, 2007. He replaced

Shauntay Henderson Shauntay L. Henderson (born October 18, 1982) is an American felon. She was a fugitive wanted for murder for several months until she was apprehended by the FBI on March 31, 2007, after being on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list for less ...

on the list. There is a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading directly to Flores' capture offered by the FBI. He is also the subject of an

Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO; french: link=no, Organisation internationale de police criminelle), commonly known as Interpol ( , ), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and cri ...

Red Notice An Interpol notice is an international alert circulated by Interpol to communicate information about crimes, criminals, and threats by police in a member state (or an authorised international entity) to their counterparts around the world. The in ...

. He is considered armed and extremely dangerous. Flores is fluent in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, and is believed to be either in his native Honduras or to have returned to the United States.

References

External links