Faustino Lara Valdez, one of FBI Dallas’s Most Wanted Fugitives, was deported to the United States from Mexico this evening. Valdez faces a state murder charge for his alleged involvement in the death of his ex-girlfriend Marisol Espinosa, a 34-year-old Dallas mother of three.

Marisol was last seen alive on December 29, 2015. Her body was found approximately two months later on March 6, 2016, underneath a bridge in Southeast Dallas. Based on investigative efforts by the Dallas Police Department, Valdez is the main suspect in Marisol’s murder.

Valdez, a U.S. citizen, fled the country to Mexico shortly after being interviewed by investigators. The FBI Dallas Violent Crimes Task Force was requested to assist in locating and arresting Valdez, and a federal arrest warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution was issued by the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas on May 4, 2016.

Yesterday, Valdez was taken into custody without incident in Francisco I. Madero, Durango, Mexico by agents of the Instituto Nacional de Migración (INAMI) in close coordination with the FBI legal attaché office at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City. Valdez was escorted from Mexico City to Dallas by an FBI special agent and an officer from INAMI and then transferred to the custody of the Dallas Police Department.

The FBI continues to work with local law enforcement to apprehend violent criminals charged with state crimes who then flee the jurisdiction interstate or internationally. Photos and descriptions of many fugitives wanted by the FBI can be found at fbi.gov.