For nearly ten years, Alejandro “Alex” Rosales Castillo lived a quiet, seemingly normal life south of the border, likely believing he had successfully outrun a murder charge in North Carolina.
That run ended last week in Pachuca, Hidalgo.
Officials announced that Castillo, a fixture on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list since 2017, was captured on January 16, 2026. The arrest closes a sprawling manhunt that began shortly after the body of 23-year-old Truc Quan “Sandy” Ly Le was discovered in a wooded area of Cabarrus County in August 2016.
The operation was a massive cross-border effort involving the FBI’s Charlotte Field Office, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD), and Mexican authorities, including the Agencia de Investigación Criminal-INTERPOL. Castillo is currently detained in Mexico City, where he awaits extradition proceedings to face justice in the United States.
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A Cold Trail Heats Up
Investigators say the break in the case came after years of grinding police work. Surveillance footage had placed Castillo crossing the border from Nogales, Arizona, into Mexico on August 16, 2016—just one day before Le’s body was found.
While the trail often seemed cold to the public, a dedicated task force of special agents and CMPD officers continued to work leads behind the scenes. According to the FBI, this persistence ultimately pinpointed Castillo’s location in central Mexico, where he had been hiding out for several years.
“For more than nine years, he lived a normal life, likely believing he would never be captured, but our experienced investigators never gave up the hunt for justice,” said FBI Charlotte Special Agent in Charge James C. Barnacle Jr. “Sadly, Sandy’s family began another new year without her. We hope knowing her accused killer is in custody will provide some level of solace now.”
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Charges and Reaction
Castillo faces a state charge of first-degree murder in Mecklenburg County. Additionally, he faces a federal charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, a warrant issued back in February 2017.
The arrest has drawn attention from the highest levels of federal law enforcement. FBI Director Kash Patel highlighted the capture as a statistical and operational victory for the current bureau leadership.
“Alejandro Castillo’s arrest is the fifth Ten Most Wanted Fugitive captured under this administration and this FBI since last year—more than the entire previous four years combined. That’s no accident,” Patel said in a statement. “When you have an administration who gives law enforcement the support to execute the mission, they get the job done like nobody else.”
Collaboration Key to Capture
Local authorities emphasized that the arrest was only possible through the tight-knit cooperation between American and Mexican agencies.
“This case shows the power of collaboration among law enforcement agencies at every level,” said CMPD Chief Estella D. Patterson. “Working together, CMPD and our partners will go to great lengths to hunt fugitives down and ensure justice is served.”
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U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, Russ Ferguson, echoed that sentiment, noting the message this sends to others fleeing the law. “Those who engage in violence will not get away with it—no matter how hard they try,” Ferguson said.
Background
The FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, established in 1950, is reserved for the nation’s most dangerous and elusive criminals. Castillo was the 516th person added to the historic list. Of the 537 fugitives placed on the list since its inception, 499 have now been apprehended or located.
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