A former US marine who allegedly killed his girlfriend in 2016 while on vacation in San Diego, California, has been arrested in El Salvador.
In a news release from the U.S. Marshals Service, Raymond McLeod, 37, was taken into custody Monday afternoon in El Salvador by the local law enforcement agency. McLeod has been on the U.S. Marshals’ 15 Most Wanted list and has been wanted by the San Diego Police Department since 2016.
KSAZ reported that McLeod was teaching English in a school in El Salvador. McLeod has a history of domestic violence.
McLeod has been accused of murdering his girlfriend, Krystal Mitchell, 30, whom he was on vacation with in San Diego from Phoenix, Arizona. The couple were visiting friends, according to U.S. Marshals.
According to KTVK, Mitchell was found dead inside an apartment on June 10, 2016. Investigators believe she was beaten and strangled. Mitchell was a mother to two children.
Police were unsuccessful in locating McLeod after the murder and the San Diego District Attorney’s Office charged him with manslaughter, according to KTVK. A warrant was then issued for his arrest and months after that, police sought help from the U.S. Marshals in locating McLeod.
It was believed that McLeod left California by crossing into Mexico. He was believed to have been spotted in Guatemala in 2017 and then Belize in 2018, said KTVK.
U.S. Marshals said the search for McLeod intensified in April 2021 with a $50,000 reward added for information leading to his capture. U.S. Marshals said it was at the time the largest reward offered for a fugitive on their 15 Most Wanted list.
“I am extremely gratified to hear the news of Raymond McLeod’s arrest without incident,” said U.S. Marshals Director Ronald Davis, in a news release. “It is our sincere hope that his capture brings some sense of relief to Krystal Mitchell’s family, especially her mother, Josephine Wentzel, who has worked so diligently with law enforcement these past years to see this day of justice arrive.”
U.S. Marshals said McLeod will be deported to San Diego to face the charges against him.
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