A man accused of kidnapping, raping and killing a 5-year-old girl from Hunting Park 26 years ago has finally arrived in Philadelphia to face criminal charges.
Alexis Flores, 44, who spent nearly two decades on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, was captured in February in his native Honduras. Following a lengthy extradition process, he was booked Monday for the 2000 murder of Iriana DeJesus, authorities said.
Iriana disappeared while playing outside her home on the 3900 block N. Fairhill Street, law enforcement officials said. Several days later, her body was found inside a nearby building that was being renovated, according to police.
Detectives pinpointed a man named Carlos who had been living at the North 6th Street property under construction, but he vanished at the same time as the girl, investigators said.
Flores was deported to Honduras in 2005 after being convicted of forgery in Arizona. Two years later, DNA evidence identified him as the suspect in Iriana’s murder, and the FBI added him to their highly publicized most wanted list.
“For more than 25 years, Iriana’s family has lived with an unimaginable loss while waiting for this day,” Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said in a statement. “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.”
Flores was denied bail, and a preliminary hearing in his case is scheduled for Sept. 14, according to court documents. The public defender’s association, which is representing him, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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