After more than 25 years as a fugitive, Alexis Flores has been returned to Philadelphia to face charges in connection with the kidnapping, rape and murder of 5-year-old Iriana DeJesus.
Flores was captured on February 11, 2026, in Lepaera, Honduras, through the efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Transnational Anti-Gang Task Force and Honduran authorities. Following an extensive international extradition process, Flores was transported back to Philadelphia with assistance from the FBI.
Flores is charged with Murder, Rape, Kidnapping, and related offenses. He is now in custody in Philadelphia.
“For more than 25 years, Iriana’s family has lived with an unimaginable loss while waiting for this day,” said Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel. “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 five years old. We have never forgotten her, and we never will.”
“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,” saidWayne A. Jacobs,special agent in charge of FBI Philadelphia. ” 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.”
Iriana 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. On August 3, 2000, her body was discovered inside a vacant property under renovation at 3902 North 6th Street. Investigators determined that she had been sexually assaulted and killed.
During the initial investigation, detectives developed a suspect known as “Carlos,” who had reportedly been staying at the property where Iriana was found. The suspect disappeared from the neighborhood at approximately the same time Iriana was reported missing.
The investigation continued for years. In 2007, DNA evidence collected in Philadelphia was matched through the Combined DNA Index System to Flores, whose DNA had been obtained following an unrelated arrest in Arizona. Arrest warrants were subsequently issued, and Flores was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list on June 2, 2007.
Despite the passage of more than two decades, detectives with the Philadelphia Police Department’s Homicide Unit and Homicide Fugitive Squad continued working alongside the FBI to locate Flores and return him to Philadelphia.
The Philadelphia Police Department recognizes the generations of investigators and law enforcement partners whose determination made this arrest and extradition possible. Most importantly, the Department continues to stand with Iriana’s family and all those who have carried her memory for the past 26 years.