Background: A section of the 3900 block of North Fairhill Street in Philadelphia, Pa. (Google Maps). Inset left: Alexis Flores (Philadelphia Police Department). Inset right: Iriana DeJesus (Greenmount Cemetery).
A man is behind bars after authorities say he kidnapped a 5-year-old girl playing outside her Pennsylvania home and killed her, wrapping her remains in wallpaper inside a nearby property.
Alexis Flores, 51, faces charges including murder in the death of Iriana DeJesus, as well as kidnapping for ransom, interference with the custody of children, and false imprisonment, according to court records reviewed by Law&Crime.
The defendant was on the FBI’s “Most Wanted” list for years. He was arrested earlier this year before his extradition to Philadelphia this week.
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The case stretches back more than 25 years.
On July 29, 2000, Iriana was playing outside her home on the 3900 block of North Fairhill Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, when she went missing. Her mother reported her disappearance, and authorities investigated.
Five days later, investigators found the child’s body wrapped in wallpaper inside a vacant structure just a block away, local ABC affiliate WPVI reported. She had been sexually assaulted and strangled to death.
It reportedly took seven years for police to find evidence — in the form of DNA — linking Flores to the crime scene.
“An itinerant worker with ties to Honduras and a criminal history that stretches to Arizona, Flores is believed to have lived in the apartment building where young Iriana DeJesus’s body was discovered on August 3, 2000,” the FBI said at the time. “She was last seen with a Hispanic male who allegedly told people he was from Honduras and was seeking work and a place to stay. Flores allegedly disappeared from the area at the same time the girl was reported missing.”
The agency added that few “solid leads” emerged until its agents were “notified that a DNA sample from an Arizona convict matched evidence taken at the Philadelphia crime scene.” Flores had “served time in Arizona on a forgery charge and was deported to Honduras following his release in 2005.”
He was charged with murder and other crimes. But again, years passed without a significant update.
In February 2026, the FBI announced Flores had been arrested in Honduras. He apparently fought being extradited to the U.S., though authorities wanting him back in Philadelphia were successful this week.
“The passage of time does not diminish our resolve or perseverance in the pursuit of justice,” Wayne Jacobs, special agent in charge of FBI Philadelphia, said in a press release dated Feb. 13. “The arrest of Alexis Flores is the culmination of 25 years of tireless investigative effort and the strength of our partnerships across departments. Through this sustained collaboration and the support of our law enforcement partners, both domestically and internationally, the day is now here.”
Authorities underscored how this case’s circumstances show how so-called “cold cases” should never be dismissed.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to apprehend fugitives who flee the jurisdiction to evade state prosecution,” United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania David Metcalf added. “No matter how long it takes or how far they may run, when it comes to a heinous crime like this, justice will be waiting.”
Flores was arraigned on Monday, court records show. He has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Sept. 14.
The post Man kidnapped and killed 5-year-old girl who was playing outside her home, then wrapped her in wallpaper a block away: Cops first appeared on Law & Crime.
