International manhunt leads to capture of fugitive couple accused of murder and child sex abuse – Law Officer

FRANKLIN COUNTY, Wash. – An international manhunt has led to the capture of a fugitive couple as they were arrested in Mexico last week. Edgar Salvador Casian-Garcia and Araceli Medina are currently sitting in a Mexico jail pending extradition to the United States.

The pair had been on the run after being charged with the murder of a child and multiple counts of child sex abuse in 2020. Their five missing and endangered children have also been rescued, according to authorities. 

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) provided the following details, which landed the couple on the U.S. Marshals “15 Most Wanted List.”

A fugitive couple who touched off an international manhunt have been captured in Mexico and their five missing and endangered children have been rescued, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) announced today (Friday, March 31, 2023). 

On Feb. 15, the USMS elevated the couple to its notorious 15 Most Wanted list, marking the first time the agency has included a couple on the list, which draws attention to some of the country’s most dangerous and high-profile fugitives.  

Edgar Salvador Casian-Garcia, 34, and his girlfriend, Araceli Medina, 38, from Franklin County, Washington, have been charged with the murder of a child and multiple counts of child sex abuse. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) teamed up with the marshals to help search for the five missing children, who have been returned to the U.S. and placed in protective custody.  

“We are so thankful that all five missing children have been rescued safely,” said John Bischoff, who oversees the Missing Children Division at NCMEC. “The crimes that Araceli Medina and Edgar Casian-Garcia are charged with are heinous and we commend the unwavering dedication of law enforcement. This successful rescue is a testament to the critical importance of collaboration and community involvement in safeguarding our most vulnerable population.”

NCMEC has chosen to withhold the names of the children and remove their photos due to the sensitive nature of this case. The names were made public during the international search, and we now ask the media to exercise the same sensitivity for this case.  

Relatives tell NCMEC they are relieved and grateful that the children have been found and are asking the media to please respect their privacy at this time.  

U.S. marshals in the Eastern District of Washington had developed information that placed the fugitive couple in Mexico. Medina and Casian-Garcia remain in the custody of authorities in Mexico pending extradition proceedings.

The investigation originally began when two of Casian-Garcia’s biological daughters were found abandoned at a gas station in Tijuana, Mexico. The girls — originally from Pasco, Washington — were severely physically and sexually abused, according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). The sisters, 8 and 3, were taken into child protective custody.

Six months after the discovery in Mexico, investigators in the State of Washington were notified about the girls. Authorities immediately recognized the family name and realized the sisters also had a brother named Edgar Jr.

Authorities responded to the family’s apartment looking for the 7-year-old boy. However, Casian-Garcia and Medina claimed the child was staying with his two sisters in California with their biological mother, Law&Crime reported.

Edgar Casian-Garcia Jr. (U.S. Marshals Service)

Once detectives realized the story was filled with deception, it was too late, as Medina and Casian-Garcia left the area. Detectives believed the pair fled to either Mexico or Canada. The couple took Medina’s four biological children and the infant son they shared as they fled the state and the country, according to law enforcement officials.

Combining forces, the U.S. Marshals Service and NCMEC began a search for Edgar Jr., along with the other five children the couple had taken as they fled.

Years went by before hikers found human bones about 15 minutes away from the couple’s Washington home in Feb. 2022. Dental records confirmed the remains belonged to Edgar Jr.

After the tragic discovery, the U.S. Marshals Service elevated the couple to its “Top 15 Most Wanted” list, which was the first time a couple had been featured on the list, Law&Crime reported.

On March 31, the couple was located and captured in Mexico. The five children they had in their custody were rescued and are safe, authorities said.

Casian-Garcia and Medina are being held in a Mexico jail awaiting extradition to the U.S. They are facing charges that include the murder of a child and multiple counts of child sex abuse in the State of Washington.