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Man wanted for 2007 Pinal County murder found in Mexico, arrested and extradited to Arizona: PCSO
PINAL COUNTY, Ariz. - After nearly 15 years on the run, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said its deputies arrested a man in Mexico in connection to a cold-case murder.
According to PCSO, the body of 37-year-old Arturo Martinez-Altamirano was found by hunters on Oct. 29, 2007 in a desert area in Stanfield.
"Oscar Tejeda-Mejia was identified as the suspect shortly after the murder, but he was unable to be located," the sheriff's office tweeted on Jan. 12.
The murder of Martinez-Altamirano went cold, but in 2017, investigators learned that Tejeda-Mejia was living in Mexico.
"In 2018, a DNA sample was acquired with the help from a person close to the suspect, positively confirmed Tejeda-Mejia's connection to the homicide," PCSO said.
On Wednesday night, Tejeda-Mejia, 59, was extradited to Arizona and booked into jail. He is accused of first-degree murder.
"I am impressed by my Detectives and their commitment to bringing this suspect to justice," Sheriff Mark Lamb said. "When political boundaries threatened to derail their progress, our guys and gals got creative."
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