CHANDLER, Ariz. – A trail of social media posts led Arizona police to Canada and the apprehension of a fugitive who had been on the run for 17 years in a negligent homicide case.
The long manhunt for Adan Perez Huerta, 37, ended last week with his arrest in Toronto, according to the Chandler Police Department.
Although Huerta pleaded guilty in the case, he became a fugitive before he could be sentenced for his role in the death of a 19-year-old woman. She was a passenger in a vehicle he was driving when it crashed and caught fire in Chandler, a Phoenix suburb, Fox News reported.
Police said Huerta was intoxicated at the fatality.
Last spring, a Chandler detective was able to track down Huerta by checking social media posts of Huerta’s relatives and associates.
Sgt. Jason McClimans said those posts eventually led to other posts written by Huerta.
“Social media always leaves a digital footprint,” McClimans told The Associated Press in an email.
McClimans said Huerta had been using his real identity while living in Canada for the past year.
Toronto police arrested the man who fled justice in Arizona. Subsequent to his arrest, they turned him over to U.S. Marshals, who returned him to Arizona.
Huerta’s defense attorney declined to comment on the case, according to Fox.
