A fugitive who fled from border security last year after his girlfriend’s decomposing body was found in the trunk of a car in Tijuana, Mexico, is now back in custody in California.
Tyler Adams, 51, was last seen on June 16, 2022, after he presented a fake ID during a handover from Mexican officials to US Customs and Border Protection and was let go, KNSD reported.
Adams, his girlfriend Racquel Sabean, and their 7-month-old daughter crossed from California into Mexico in April 2022. Sabean’s body was found in the trunk of her mother’s car in Tijuana on May 31. A week later, Mexican authorities issued an alert for the baby.
Adams was located in Tecate on June 15 and taken into custody for questioning about the baby, who was later found in Rosarito. Mexican authorities then prepared to turn him over to CBP because of a warrant for his arrest out of Hawaii, where he walked away from a work furlough at the Oahu Community Correctional Center and never returned.
But he showed US officials a fake identification — one of many he’s used — and was allowed to cross back into the United States and disappear.
“Clearly something went wrong,” FBI spokesperson Bill McNamara said last year.
Law enforcement in Hawaii have described Adams as a “master of disguise.” The FBI says he’s used dozens of fake names, including Aaron Lee Bain, Aaron Lee, Aron Lee, Paul Wilson Phipps, Paul Wilson Phillps, David Smith, Dominic Braun, David Phillips, Kevin Kennedy, Michael Whittman, Lance Irwin, Brice Johnson, Matthew Kashani, Taylor Chase and Joshua Smith, according to the FBI.
He used the alias Aaron Bain when he escaped custody on June 16, 2022, the FBI said.
Adams was arrested in Anaheim on November 30 and charged with grand theft, fraud via false pretenses, the fugitive warrant from the State of Hawaii, and federal warrants for making false statements and falsifying identification documents. He pleaded guilty on December 11 on the theft and fraud charges, both misdemeanors, and was sentenced to 30 days in jail. He is due in court on January 3 on the fugitive warrants.
It’s not clear if Adams is still wanted in Mexico for Sabean’s death. Prosecutors in Baja California had previously said he was the prime suspect.
He previously served seven years in prison after pleading guilty in 2012 to using his mother’s and stepfather’s identity information to obtains millions in real estate.
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[Featured image: Tyler Adams/FBI]
