Update: March 14, 2024
Story originally published on May 26, 2023. Update reflects new age-progression photo of fugitive.
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A reward has increased by thousands of dollars for information leading to the arrest of a notorious Philadelphia fugitive who is named on the FBI’s latest top 10 most wanted list.
Alexis Flores, a handyman from Honduras, is wanted for the kidnapping and murder of 5-year-old I’riana DeJesus in 2000. The child went missing that July and was found about a week later, badly decomposed inside a building that was undergoing renovations at Sixth and Pike streets in North Philadelphia.
Flores allegedly sexually assaulted and strangled I’riana, then wrapped her body in trash bags.
Authorities believe Flores was only in a town for a few days, and he was working and living inside that building.
New age-progression photo
Investigators found some items inside the building and kept them, but they did not identify a suspect until seven years later, when Flores was arrested in Arizona for presenting a fake ID to a police officer. He spent months in jail. Following protocol, officers took a DNA swab.
Philadelphia investigators had taken DNA from those items found at the crime scene and entered it into the federal database — and it matched with Flores’ DNA.
But after he was released, Flores was handed him over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and deported back to Honduras. Federal investigators in Philadelphia have been searching for him ever since. They believe his family may be helping him hide.
Flores is described as about 5 feet, 4 inches tall, with scars on his forehead and right cheek area. He is now in his mid to late 40s and has gone by the names Mario, Alex and Alesis, with the last names Flores, Roberto and Contreras.
The FBI set the reward for his capture at $250,000.