Wanted fugitive in fatal 2016 Whatcom County crash found dead in Guatemala

A long-running fatal hit-and-run case out of Whatcom County is effectively closed.

The case wasn’t closed with an arrest, but with confirmation that the suspect was dead.

The Washington State Patrol (WSP) said back in 2016, Luciano Ailon-Garcia was speeding, missed a curve, and crashed. He killed one passenger and injured another, and then he disappeared.

Investigators never stopped looking for Ailon-Garcia, using electronic tips and social media. Chris Loftis, a spokesperson for WSP, said detectives finally tracked him to Guatemala, only to learn of his passing.

“We were able to then reach out to the Guatemala authorities and confirm that it was the same individual,” Loftis explained. “So he’d been in Guatemala since the collision occurred back in 2016.”

Ailon-Garcia was one of WSP’s most wanted fugitives. He has since been removed from the list.

“We never give up,” Loftis said. “We’re solving cold cases every day, whether it’s through DNA, forensics, new technologies, or whether it’s just good detective work, as we had here.”

Fugitive on WSP Most Wanted list for 14 years arrested in California

Earlier this month, A fugitive who spent 14 years on WSP’s Most Wanted list was arrested in California.

Manuel Cortez-Vargas, 33, was taken into custody in Madera, California, WSP reported.

Cortez-Vargas was wanted on a 2012 hit-and-run fatality charge stemming from a rollover crash in Skagit County that killed 19-year-old Cameron Sheridan.

WSP placed Cortez-Vargas on the Most Wanted list after he failed to appear in court. Detectives developed credible information about his whereabouts, and after working closely with Madera Police Department detectives, law enforcement was able to safely arrest him.

Cortez-Vargas was extradited to Skagit County.

Contributing: Frank Lenzi, KIRO Newsradio

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