Mario R. Garcia was wanted for the 1991 fatal stabbing of Ismael Recinos-Garcia.
An investigation that spanned over 30 years has come to a close after authorities captured one of Massachusetts’ most wanted fugitives.
Mario R. Garcia, 50, was found operating a shrimp farm and living under an alias in Iztapa, Guatemala, according to Massachusetts State Police.
Garcia was wanted for the 1991 fatal stabbing of Ismael Recinos-Garcia, who was kileld during an altercation in Massachusetts, police said. Garcia fled immediately after police secured an arrest warrant, officials said. He had been unable to be located ever since, authorities said.
In 2014, police got information that their suspect had likely fled to a remote area in his home country of Guatemala and in 2022 they received information that he may have been working at a shrimp farm in Iztapa.
Authorities in both the U.S. and Guatemala worked to put together a team to capture Garcia, officials said.
When the team arrived at the shrimp farm to serve the arrest warrant, Garcia tried to flee by jumping into the water at the farm but ultimately he was captured and taken into custody.
Garcia is expected to be extradited to the U.S. to be prosecuted for Recnios-Garcia’s murder.
“We don’t forget, we are persistent, and we never cease in our efforts to secure justice for victims,” Massachusetts State Police Colonel Christopher S. Mason said.
“The fact that we were able to reach into Guatemala to hold accountable someone who committed a homicide in Massachusetts is a result of both tenacious police work and the value of our relationships with local, federal and international partners.”
