Fugitive wanted for murder captured at prawn farm after more than 30 years on the run
A fugitive wanted in Massachusetts for a 1991 murder has been captured at a Guatemala prawn farm, according to a news release from the Massachusetts State Police.
A multi-agency team spent more than 30 years searching for Mario R Garcia, 50, before developing a lead in the case earlier this year indicating he was in Iztapa, Guatemala, a coastal town about 112km from Guatemala City.
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Police have been searching for Mario R Garcia for more than 30 years. Massachusetts State Police
After months of investigation, an apprehension team coordinated by several domestic and international law enforcement agencies deployed to a prawn farm that Garcia had been operating under an alias, Massachusetts police said on Wednesday.
"Garcia attempted to evade capture by jumping into a body of water at the shrimp farm but was apprehended and placed into custody," the release states.
"The fact that we were able to reach into Guatemala to hold accountable someone who committed a homicide in Massachusetts is a result of both tenacious police work and the value of our relationships with local, federal and international partners," Massachusetts State Police Colonel Christopher S. Mason said.
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Garcia was captured at a shrimp farm Iztapa, Guatemala, where he was operating under an alias. Google Maps
Garcia had been on the run since he was 19 years old, accused of stabbing Ismael Recinos-Garcia to death during a fight in Attleboro, Massachusetts, in November 1991, according to the release. He disappeared after an arrest warrant was issued.
Massachusetts police said one of their units learned in 2014 Garcia had "likely fled to a remote area of his native Guatemala".
"We are glad that the victim, Ismael Recinos-Garcia, will finally have justice be brought forth for this senseless murder," Attleboro Police Chief Kyle P. Heagney said.
District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn confirmed Garcia will be extradited from Guatemala and prosecuted for Recinos-Garcia's murder in Bristol County, Massachusetts.
It is unknown whether Garcia has acquired an attorney.
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