Topline: Federal authorities say Alejandro “Alex” Rosales Castillo was arrested in Mexico nearly 10 years after a Charlotte woman was found shot to death in Cabarrus County.
Published: January 20, 2026 2:35 pm ET
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Photos via FBI Most Wanted
CHARLOTTE, NC — Nearly a decade after a young Charlotte woman was found shot to death in the woods of Cabarrus County, federal authorities say one of the FBI’s most elusive fugitives is now in custody, ending a yearslong international manhunt that stretched from North Carolina to central Mexico.
According to the FBI, Alejandro “Alex” Rosales Castillo, a Ten Most Wanted Fugitive since 2017, was captured Jan. 16 in Pachuca, the capital of the Mexican state of Hidalgo. The arrest followed years of work by FBI special agents and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department task force officers who continued to pursue leads long after Castillo was last seen slipping across the U.S.-Mexico border in 2016, authorities said.
Castillo is accused of murdering 23-year-old Truc Quan “Sandy” Ly Le, a Charlotte woman whose body was discovered Aug. 17, 2016, in a wooded area of Cabarrus County, according to court records and previous reporting by The Charlotte Observer. Investigators said Ly had been shot in the head. Two days earlier, her car was found abandoned at a bus station in Phoenix, Arizona.
Surveillance video later released by the FBI showed Castillo, then 18, and an alleged accomplice crossing from Nogales, Arizona, into Mexico just after 9 p.m. on Aug. 16, 2016, according to the FBI. Castillo was wearing a gray shirt and black hat in the footage.
Federal authorities said Castillo was detained in Pachuca with the help of Mexico’s Agencia de Investigación Criminal-INTERPOL vetted team and the Secretaría de Seguridad y Protección Ciudadana, coordinated through the FBI’s Legal Attaché Office in Mexico City. He is currently being held in Mexico City pending extradition proceedings to North Carolina, the FBI said.
Castillo was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list on Oct. 24, 2017. A state arrest warrant charging him with first-degree murder was issued in Mecklenburg County in November 2016, followed by a federal warrant in February 2017 accusing him of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
“Alejandro Castillo’s arrest is the fifth Ten Most Wanted Fugitive captured under this administration and this FBI since last year — more than the entire previous four years combined,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement. “That’s no accident. When you have an administration who gives law enforcement the support to execute the mission, they get the job done like nobody else. This was outstanding work by our Charlotte team, FBI Legat Mexico, local and federal partners, and partners in Mexico — and we can now begin the process of delivering long-awaited justice for Sandy Ly Le’s family.”
James C. Barnacle Jr., special agent in charge of the FBI’s Charlotte Field Office, said Castillo managed to live undetected for years while investigators continued to follow up on tips and intelligence. “For more than nine years, he lived a normal life, likely believing he would never be captured, but our experienced investigators never gave up the hunt for justice,” Barnacle said. “Sadly, Sandy’s family began another new year without her, we hope knowing her accused killer is in custody will provide some level of solace now.”
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Estella D. Patterson described the arrest as a reminder that fugitives cannot outrun coordinated law enforcement efforts. “This case shows the power of collaboration among law enforcement agencies at every level,” Patterson said. “Working together, CMPD and our partners will go to great lengths to hunt fugitives down and ensure justice is served. This joint effort sends a clear message that those who commit violent crimes cannot outrun justice.”
U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson echoed that sentiment, saying, “Those who engage in violence will not get away with it — no matter how hard they try. This case is a testament that we will never give up our pursuit of justice.”
According to The Charlotte Observer, Ly and Castillo were coworkers at a Charlotte Showmars restaurant, along with two other suspects later charged in connection with the case. Police previously said Ly was killed for refusing to give money to the shooter. One suspect, Ahmia Feaster, turned herself in to authorities in Aguas Calientes, Mexico, and was extradited to North Carolina, where she faces charges including accessory after the fact of murder. Another former coworker, Humberto Ulloa-Esteban, was arrested in Charlotte in 2017 and also charged as an accessory, the newspaper reported.
The case drew national attention in 2020 when it was featured on the Investigation Discovery series “In Pursuit with John Walsh,” which followed authorities searching for Castillo in Mexico. At the time, the FBI offered a reward of up to $250,000 for information leading directly to his arrest.
Federal officials told CBS News that Castillo, now 27 and a U.S. citizen, will be extradited to North Carolina to face the murder charge. The arrest comes amid broader cooperation between U.S. and Mexican authorities, as the FBI noted that nearly 500 of the 537 fugitives placed on its Ten Most Wanted list since 1950 have been apprehended or located. Castillo was the 516th person added to the list.
The FBI and CMPD credited multiple agencies for assisting in the case, including Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Department of State, and Mexican law enforcement partners, calling the arrest the result of years of persistence across borders.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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Decade-Long Search Ends as FBI Captures Fugitive Accused in Sandy Ly Le’s Death
Federal authorities say Alejandro “Alex” Rosales Castillo was arrested in Mexico nearly 10 years after a Charlotte woman was found shot to death in Cabarrus County.
By Jacob Charles
Published: January 20, 2026 2:35 pm ET
Photos via FBI Most Wanted
CHARLOTTE, NC — Nearly a decade after a young Charlotte woman was found shot to death in the woods of Cabarrus County, federal authorities say one of the FBI’s most elusive fugitives is now in custody, ending a yearslong international manhunt that stretched from North Carolina to central Mexico.
According to the FBI, Alejandro “Alex” Rosales Castillo, a Ten Most Wanted Fugitive since 2017, was captured Jan. 16 in Pachuca, the capital of the Mexican state of Hidalgo. The arrest followed years of work by FBI special agents and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department task force officers who continued to pursue leads long after Castillo was last seen slipping across the U.S.-Mexico border in 2016, authorities said.
Castillo is accused of murdering 23-year-old Truc Quan “Sandy” Ly Le, a Charlotte woman whose body was discovered Aug. 17, 2016, in a wooded area of Cabarrus County, according to court records and previous reporting by The Charlotte Observer. Investigators said Ly had been shot in the head. Two days earlier, her car was found abandoned at a bus station in Phoenix, Arizona.
Surveillance video later released by the FBI showed Castillo, then 18, and an alleged accomplice crossing from Nogales, Arizona, into Mexico just after 9 p.m. on Aug. 16, 2016, according to the FBI. Castillo was wearing a gray shirt and black hat in the footage.
Federal authorities said Castillo was detained in Pachuca with the help of Mexico’s Agencia de Investigación Criminal-INTERPOL vetted team and the Secretaría de Seguridad y Protección Ciudadana, coordinated through the FBI’s Legal Attaché Office in Mexico City. He is currently being held in Mexico City pending extradition proceedings to North Carolina, the FBI said.
Castillo was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list on Oct. 24, 2017. A state arrest warrant charging him with first-degree murder was issued in Mecklenburg County in November 2016, followed by a federal warrant in February 2017 accusing him of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
“Alejandro Castillo’s arrest is the fifth Ten Most Wanted Fugitive captured under this administration and this FBI since last year — more than the entire previous four years combined,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement. “That’s no accident. When you have an administration who gives law enforcement the support to execute the mission, they get the job done like nobody else. This was outstanding work by our Charlotte team, FBI Legat Mexico, local and federal partners, and partners in Mexico — and we can now begin the process of delivering long-awaited justice for Sandy Ly Le’s family.”
James C. Barnacle Jr., special agent in charge of the FBI’s Charlotte Field Office, said Castillo managed to live undetected for years while investigators continued to follow up on tips and intelligence. “For more than nine years, he lived a normal life, likely believing he would never be captured, but our experienced investigators never gave up the hunt for justice,” Barnacle said. “Sadly, Sandy’s family began another new year without her, we hope knowing her accused killer is in custody will provide some level of solace now.”
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Estella D. Patterson described the arrest as a reminder that fugitives cannot outrun coordinated law enforcement efforts. “This case shows the power of collaboration among law enforcement agencies at every level,” Patterson said. “Working together, CMPD and our partners will go to great lengths to hunt fugitives down and ensure justice is served. This joint effort sends a clear message that those who commit violent crimes cannot outrun justice.”
U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson echoed that sentiment, saying, “Those who engage in violence will not get away with it — no matter how hard they try. This case is a testament that we will never give up our pursuit of justice.”
According to The Charlotte Observer, Ly and Castillo were coworkers at a Charlotte Showmars restaurant, along with two other suspects later charged in connection with the case. Police previously said Ly was killed for refusing to give money to the shooter. One suspect, Ahmia Feaster, turned herself in to authorities in Aguas Calientes, Mexico, and was extradited to North Carolina, where she faces charges including accessory after the fact of murder. Another former coworker, Humberto Ulloa-Esteban, was arrested in Charlotte in 2017 and also charged as an accessory, the newspaper reported.
The case drew national attention in 2020 when it was featured on the Investigation Discovery series “In Pursuit with John Walsh,” which followed authorities searching for Castillo in Mexico. At the time, the FBI offered a reward of up to $250,000 for information leading directly to his arrest.
Federal officials told CBS News that Castillo, now 27 and a U.S. citizen, will be extradited to North Carolina to face the murder charge. The arrest comes amid broader cooperation between U.S. and Mexican authorities, as the FBI noted that nearly 500 of the 537 fugitives placed on its Ten Most Wanted list since 1950 have been apprehended or located. Castillo was the 516th person added to the list.
The FBI and CMPD credited multiple agencies for assisting in the case, including Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Department of State, and Mexican law enforcement partners, calling the arrest the result of years of persistence across borders.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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Editor Picks
Latest Articles
Decade-Long Search Ends as FBI Captures Fugitive Accused in Sandy Ly Le’s Death
Federal authorities say Alejandro “Alex” Rosales Castillo was arrested in Mexico nearly 10 years after a Charlotte woman was found shot to death in Cabarrus County.
By Jacob Charles
Published: January 20, 2026 2:35 pm ET
Photos via FBI Most Wanted
CHARLOTTE, NC — Nearly a decade after a young Charlotte woman was found shot to death in the woods of Cabarrus County, federal authorities say one of the FBI’s most elusive fugitives is now in custody, ending a yearslong international manhunt that stretched from North Carolina to central Mexico.
According to the FBI, Alejandro “Alex” Rosales Castillo, a Ten Most Wanted Fugitive since 2017, was captured Jan. 16 in Pachuca, the capital of the Mexican state of Hidalgo. The arrest followed years of work by FBI special agents and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department task force officers who continued to pursue leads long after Castillo was last seen slipping across the U.S.-Mexico border in 2016, authorities said.
Castillo is accused of murdering 23-year-old Truc Quan “Sandy” Ly Le, a Charlotte woman whose body was discovered Aug. 17, 2016, in a wooded area of Cabarrus County, according to court records and previous reporting by The Charlotte Observer. Investigators said Ly had been shot in the head. Two days earlier, her car was found abandoned at a bus station in Phoenix, Arizona.
Surveillance video later released by the FBI showed Castillo, then 18, and an alleged accomplice crossing from Nogales, Arizona, into Mexico just after 9 p.m. on Aug. 16, 2016, according to the FBI. Castillo was wearing a gray shirt and black hat in the footage.
Federal authorities said Castillo was detained in Pachuca with the help of Mexico’s Agencia de Investigación Criminal-INTERPOL vetted team and the Secretaría de Seguridad y Protección Ciudadana, coordinated through the FBI’s Legal Attaché Office in Mexico City. He is currently being held in Mexico City pending extradition proceedings to North Carolina, the FBI said.
Castillo was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list on Oct. 24, 2017. A state arrest warrant charging him with first-degree murder was issued in Mecklenburg County in November 2016, followed by a federal warrant in February 2017 accusing him of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
“Alejandro Castillo’s arrest is the fifth Ten Most Wanted Fugitive captured under this administration and this FBI since last year — more than the entire previous four years combined,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement. “That’s no accident. When you have an administration who gives law enforcement the support to execute the mission, they get the job done like nobody else. This was outstanding work by our Charlotte team, FBI Legat Mexico, local and federal partners, and partners in Mexico — and we can now begin the process of delivering long-awaited justice for Sandy Ly Le’s family.”
James C. Barnacle Jr., special agent in charge of the FBI’s Charlotte Field Office, said Castillo managed to live undetected for years while investigators continued to follow up on tips and intelligence. “For more than nine years, he lived a normal life, likely believing he would never be captured, but our experienced investigators never gave up the hunt for justice,” Barnacle said. “Sadly, Sandy’s family began another new year without her, we hope knowing her accused killer is in custody will provide some level of solace now.”
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Estella D. Patterson described the arrest as a reminder that fugitives cannot outrun coordinated law enforcement efforts. “This case shows the power of collaboration among law enforcement agencies at every level,” Patterson said. “Working together, CMPD and our partners will go to great lengths to hunt fugitives down and ensure justice is served. This joint effort sends a clear message that those who commit violent crimes cannot outrun justice.”
U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson echoed that sentiment, saying, “Those who engage in violence will not get away with it — no matter how hard they try. This case is a testament that we will never give up our pursuit of justice.”
According to The Charlotte Observer, Ly and Castillo were coworkers at a Charlotte Showmars restaurant, along with two other suspects later charged in connection with the case. Police previously said Ly was killed for refusing to give money to the shooter. One suspect, Ahmia Feaster, turned herself in to authorities in Aguas Calientes, Mexico, and was extradited to North Carolina, where she faces charges including accessory after the fact of murder. Another former coworker, Humberto Ulloa-Esteban, was arrested in Charlotte in 2017 and also charged as an accessory, the newspaper reported.
The case drew national attention in 2020 when it was featured on the Investigation Discovery series “In Pursuit with John Walsh,” which followed authorities searching for Castillo in Mexico. At the time, the FBI offered a reward of up to $250,000 for information leading directly to his arrest.
Federal officials told CBS News that Castillo, now 27 and a U.S. citizen, will be extradited to North Carolina to face the murder charge. The arrest comes amid broader cooperation between U.S. and Mexican authorities, as the FBI noted that nearly 500 of the 537 fugitives placed on its Ten Most Wanted list since 1950 have been apprehended or located. Castillo was the 516th person added to the list.
The FBI and CMPD credited multiple agencies for assisting in the case, including Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Department of State, and Mexican law enforcement partners, calling the arrest the result of years of persistence across borders.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
Must Read
