BAKERSFIELD—Today, April 21, 2023, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Sacramento Field Office special agents returned wanted fugitive Gustavo Ubaldo Soria, 53, to Kern County to face murder charges. Soria was booked into the Kern County Jail and is currently awaiting his initial appearance before the Superior Court of California, County of Kern, in Bakersfield.

With the assistance of the FBI Mexico City Legal Attaché and the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) Mexico, Soria was apprehended by Baja California State Police in Tijuana, Mexico, on November 5, 2022, pending extradition.

“We are grateful for the assistance our international partners provided to ensure Soria could be returned to answer to the crimes he has been charged with,” said Special Agent in Charge Sean Ragan of the FBI Sacramento Field Office. “Our hearts break for the families of the victims, who have been patiently waiting nearly 19 years for this day and will soon be revisiting this dark chapter in their lives.”

Soria’s return to Kern County to face prosecution is funded by the United States Government’s “Project Welcome Home,” which provides funding to assist in the transportation of federal fugitives to the United States.

Soria is alleged to have killed two individuals at two, separate locations in Bakersfield, California, on Sept. 23, 2004. The Bakersfield Police Department and Kern County Sheriff’s Office investigated the homicides, and the Kern County District Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. An arrest warrant charging Soria with two counts of first-degree murder was issued on October 12, 2004.

The FBI obtained a federal arrest warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution on November 4, 2004, following the discovery that Soria fled to Mexico in a rental car which was recovered in Tijuana, Mexico. The Bakersfield Police Department, Kern County Sheriff’s Office, Kern County District Attorney’s Office, and FBI Sacramento Field Office, Bakersfield Resident Agency, worked collaboratively to locate and apprehend Soria.

The FBI continues to collaborate with its law enforcement partners to apprehend criminals charged with state crimes who then flee the jurisdiction. Cases seeking information from the public, including fugitive matters, are posted on the FBI Sacramento Field Office’s Most Wanted page and FBI Most Wanted app. Anyone with information that may aid these cases may contact their local FBI office, United States embassy, or submit information online at tips.fbi.gov.