KAUFMAN, Texas — The first edition of the Kaufman County Most Wanted list, first published in August 2016, led to the arrest in a 1994 cold case murder which occurred in Kaufman, Texas.
KAUFMAN, Texas — The first edition of the Kaufman County Most Wanted list, first published in August 2016, led to the arrest in a 1994 cold case murder which occurred in Kaufman, Texas.
25-year-old Francisco Sanchez Salazar was shot approximately 14 times at the City Coin Laundry in Kaufman, Texas, at approximately 10:17 p.m. on June 9, 1994.
Witnesses saw a Hispanic male flee the scene with a handgun who was later identified as 23-year-old Alvaro Iglesias Rodriguez.
“Rodriguez crossed the border into Mexico two days later and has not been seen again, until yesterday, September 28, 2016,” according to Kaufman Police Department Captain Ed Black.
“When Kaufman County recently started publishing its “Top 10 Most Wanted” list in the newspaper I, Captain Ed Black, decided to dig out the file on the 22 year old murder and put our suspect out there and see if we received any tips.”
A few weeks later, Black says the Crime Stoppers received a tip Rodriguez was living in Wichita, Kansas, under the name Mauricio San Miguel Reyes.
“Kaufman Police Investigators began digging into the cold case trying to find a way to verify or disqualify “Reyes” as our suspect,” stated Black. “Through many hours of work, and several sleepless nights, Detective Sergeant Tommy Black, along with assistance from KSO Deputy Robert McGee, was able to locate a single arrest file for Disorderly Conduct in the Kaufman County Sheriff Department archived files for the suspect.”
Inside the Kaufman County file was a fingerprint card which matched a finger print card in an arrest file from the Wichita, Kansas, police department.
“Their assistance was invaluable,” Black said of the Wichita Police Department investigators.
“I then sent Detective Black and Detective Jason Stastny to Wichita, Kansas, to work alongside their officers to apprehend Salazar,” stated Black. “He was taken into custody without incident at approximately 6 p.m. by the Wichita Police Department Tactical Team.”
Rodriguez declined to speak with investigators following his arrest, according to Black.
Investigators met with Rodriguez’s family who revealed they knew he was involved in the 1994 murder and provided details Rodriguez had confessed to them, Black stated.
“The family informed us that he had fled to Mexico after the shooting and remained there for about three years before coming back into the United States and settling in Kansas where he has been ever since,” stated Black.
“It is unknown at this time if Rodriguez will fight extradition back to Kaufman, however, we are confident that the process to get him back here to face the citizens of Kaufman will not be a lengthy one,” stated Black.
“One thing that worked in our favor is that the Lead Investigator of the case, Thomas Bohn, who had left the department, returned to the Kaufman Police Department in January 2014 and works with us today,” Black stated. “His input regarding the original crime scene and investigation was very valuable.”
“The many hours of work on this case by all of our Investigators, especially Lead Investigator Sgt. Tommy Black, should make our community proud,” stated Black. “This is proof once again that the Crime Stoppers program works.”
“Without that tip, this fugitive probably would have never been captured,” stated Black.
