After more than 25 years on the run, a former fugitive on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list returned to Philadelphia to face charges in the rape and murder of a 5-year-old girl, officials announced on Monday, Aug. 31. Alexis Flores is accused of kidnapping, raping and killing Iriana DeJesus in 200 0. DeJesus was first reported missing by her mother on July 29, 2000, after disappearing while playing outside her home along the 3900 block of North Fairhill Street in Philadelphia. A few days later, on Aug. 3, 2000, the girl’s body was found inside a vacant property that was under renovation along the 3900 block of North 6th Street. Investigators determined DeJesus had been sexually assaulted and killed. Detectives developed a suspect in the girl’s murder who they initially identified as “Carlos.” Investigators said “Carlos” had been staying at the property where DeJesus’ body was found and that he had disappeared from the neighborhood around the same time the girl was reported missing. The girl’s murder remained unsolved for years until a break in the case occurred in 2007. At that point, officials said, DNA evidence collected in DeJesus’ murder matched the DNA of Alexis Flores who had been arrested in Arizona on unrelated forgery charges in 2004.   Photos of Alexis Flores A warrant was issued for Flores’ arrest and he was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list on June 2, 2007. At that point, however, Flores had already been deported to his native Honduras, officials said. Flores remained on the run for several years after that. Then on Feb. 11, 2026, Flores was captured in Lepaera, Honduras, through the efforts of the FBI’s Transnational Anti-Gang Task Force as well as Honduran authorities. After Flores’ arrest, NBC10’s Brian Sheehan shared the news with community members outside a day care that was named after Iriana DeJesus in Philadelphia’s Fairhill community. The residents embraced each other, thanking God while saying justice had been served. The girl’s mother, Lizasuain DeJesus, was overwhelmed with emotion when she returned to the scene of her daughter’s murder and was greeted by community members. “That feeling will never go away. Justice. Justice call that I got yesterday. I couldn’t even talk. I was shaking,” she said back in February. “I know she’s an angel. She was an angel before. She became an angel the minute that she was murdered and she will continue to be my angel watching over us.” After an international extradition process that lasted several months, Flores was transported back to Philadelphia in late August to face charges of murder, rape, kidnapping and other related offenses. He’s currently in custody in Philadelphia. “For more than 25 years, Iriana’s family has lived with an unimaginable loss while waiting for this day,” Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said. “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.” A photo of Iriana DeJesus ...read more read less