Arlington Murder Fugitive Arrested in Guatemala 17 Years Later: Police

ARLINGTON, VA — A man wanted in the 1999 murder of Eva Veliz in Arlington has been arrested in Guatemala and extradited to the United States, according to a report from the Arlington County Police Department.

Ludvin Estrada, 46, arrived in the United States on Friday, Sept. 9 and is being held at the Arlington County Detention Facility on a charge of murder. The charge stems from an incident that happened back on May 11, 1999, when police found the body of a 27-year-old woman inside the trunk of a vehicle parked in the 1300 block of N. Pierce Street, the report states.

"The investigation revealed that on the evening prior, the victim and the subject had been out dancing and were seen leaving together at approximately 2:45 a.m. on May 11, 1999," it adds. "At some point, a verbal altercation ensued between the two and the subject strangled the victim causing her death. Estrada immediately fled to Guatemala where he remained until his capture in 2016."

Police issued a warrant for Estrada back in 1999, but had been unable to locate him in Guatemala. In 2012, the case was assigned to the Arlington County Police Department's Cold Case Unit. Detectives were able to locate additional information that verified Estrada's involvement in Veliz's death, and resumed efforts to locate Estrada.

Special agents with the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) were able to locate Estrada in Guatemala in coordinate with Guatemalan National Police. He was arrested April 11.

Image via Arlington County Police Department