A Tucson couple convicted of multiple counts of child sexual abuse who’ve been on the run from local authorities for six years after kidnapping their two children have been arrested in Mexico, authorities say.
Luis Alberto Herrera Ramirez and Andrea Vanessa Ramirez were apprehended April 5 in Aguascalientes, Mexico.
The arrest was made in collaboration with INTERPOL, the U.S. Marshals Service and the USMS Mexico Foreign Field Office, said in a news release last week from the Marshals Service. It was not known Friday if the couple had already been returned to Tucson.
Their children were safely returned to the Arizona Department of Child Services and were expected to be released to family members.
The kidnapping happened at a Tucson park on May 4, 2018 when the pair assaulted an Arizona Department of Child Safety employee who was with the family on a court-ordered visit.
At the time, the couple were each free on bond after being indicted on multiple counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and child abuse with a firearm, authorities say.
In May 2019, the couple were convicted in absentia on charges that included sexual abuse of minors, sexual exploitation, manufacture of child pornography, aggravated assault, kidnapping and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
“Of all of the dangerous fugitives the U.S. Marshals arrest, the individuals who are charged with crimes against minors are especially important to us,” said acting U.S. Marshal for the District of Arizona Van Bayless in the news release.
In August, authorities learned the couple was living in Aguascalientes under aliases, according to the release.
“When Luis Herrera-Ramirez and Andrea Ramirez committed an unthinkable crime against children and violently assaulted a DCS worker, it deeply affected our Tucson community,” Tucson Police Chief Chad Kasmar said in the release. “I am grateful for the hard work of all our partners in this multi-jurisdictional operation.”
