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 kn ...

, murderer 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 ...

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 ...

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

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

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

Ten Most Wanted Fugitives The FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives is a most wanted list maintained by the United States's Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The list arose from a conversation held in late 1949 between J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the FBI, and William Ki ...

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 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,

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

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 res ...

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,

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

, prior to living in Phoenix. 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 ori ...

. 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 ...

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, and he was charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. Flores was added to the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list on June 2, 2007. He replaced Shauntay Henderson 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 cr ...

Red Notice. He is considered armed and extremely dangerous. Flores is fluent in Spanish and English, and is believed to be either in his native Honduras or to have returned to the United States.

References

External links