Most Wanted Fugitive Couple Arrested in Mexico; Five Missing Children Recovered

Two fugitives from Washington state have been arrested in Mexico.

According to the U.S. Marshals Service, 34-year-old Edgar Salvador Casian-Garcia and his girlfriend, 38-year-old Araceli Medina were taken into custody last week. They had been on the agency’s top 15 most wanted fugitives list.

The couple is charged with Aggravated Murder, four counts of Child Rape, and Child Assault.

The criminal charges come after two of Casian-Garcia’s daughters, ages three and eight years old, were found abandoned in Tijuana in late 2020.

Authorities believe the couple was sex trafficking the girls, as both showed signs of severe physical and sexual abuse.

The body of the girls’ 7-year-old brother, who authorities say was likely tortured to death, was found in rural Washington in early 2022.

Five children were with the couple when they were arrested. All of them had been listed as missing and endangered. They have been returned to the U.S. and placed in protective custody.

The couple remains in Mexico, pending extradition to the U.S. U.S. Marshals believe they fled to the country after learning they would face charges.

It is unclear if the couple has retained an attorney.