A man on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list was captured this week in Mexico in connection with a crime he committed three years ago just over an hour after being added to the FBI's list, making him the fastest captured fugitive in the history of the program.
Concretely, Samuel Ramirez Jr., 33, was arrested by Mexican officials in Culiacán, Sinaloa, and handed over to U.S. authorities.
🚨🚨 CAPTURED: Another FBI Most Wanted - Samuel Ramirez Jr., apprehended in Sinaloa, Mexico.
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) March 12, 2026
Ramirez was on the run for nearly 3 years for his alleged involvement in the murder of two female victims May 21, 2023. After the alleged murders, he was believed to have fled the… pic.twitter.com/UfZLWXkQsR
The man was then transported to Seattle, Washington, where he is wanted for the murders of Jessyca Hohn and Katie Duhnke during a shooting on May 21, 2023, outside a bar on the outskirts of Seattle. A third person was also injured in the attack but survived.
"We've always been committed to the idea that he would pay some day," Jessica Blackshear, a friend of both victims, told Seattle-based outlet KOMO News. "It's such a burden off of our own shoulders. It's such a weight off of us to know that he's been captured and that we can finally breathe a little bit and celebrate knowing that he will finally face justice."
According to Federal Way Police Chief Andy Hwang, Ramirez Jr. had argued with two bar employees shortly before the shooting. He said one of the victims died instantly after being shot in the head.
"The second victim was shot multiple times, and he stood over her and shot her in the head," Hwang said.
Investigators say Ramirez Jr. fled Washington shortly after the killings. As noted by KOMO News, authorities believe he traveled to Lake Havasu City, Arizona, before his parents drove him across the border into Tijuana, Mexico, on May 23, 2023. Officials have not confirmed whether Ramirez's parents will face charges for helping him escape.
"Following an information exchange and being alerted to the presence of this fugitive sought by U.S. authorities, security measures were taken in Culiacan and a person matching the description was arrested on Calle Monte Gonga, in the Altura Sur neighborhood," Mexico's Security Secretariat said in a statement.
Ramirez Jr. was taken into custody one hour and 13 minutes after the FBI announced he had been added to the Most Wanted Fugitives list. The previous fastest capture involved Billie Austin Bryant, who was arrested in 1969 only two hours after being added to the list, the agency said.
Originally published on Latin Times
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