As a counselor, Iris Iliana Rodriguez sexually abused an 11-year-old, authorities said. (Image: Texas Department of Public Safety)
After the better part of a decade, authorities have found one of the people listed on Texas‘ list of top 10 most wanted fugitives. She is Iris Iliana Rodriguez, 34, a counselor who authorities alleged misused her position at a mental health facility by sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl.
State authorities announced her arrest on Friday, but said that Interpol took her into custody in the Pacific Ocean-facing Mexican state of Jalisco back on Dec. 11, 2023. They did not elaborate on how they found her, except to say that they received a tip through Crime Stoppers. Authorities did not specify what Rodriguez was doing in Jalisco or how she wound up there, though they previously said she had strong ties to Mexico.
Rodriguez worked as a counselor in the U.S. border city of Laredo, Texas. She was wanted since January 2015, when warrants were issued in Webb County for three counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact, three counts of harassment, and one count of unlawful restraint.
Investigators claimed she abused an 11-year-old girl after getting a job at the Border Region Behavioral Health Center in Laredo. Authorities described it as an “inappropriate relationship.”
“The initial contact allegedly is to have occurred while RODRIGUEZ was working as a counselor for a CAPS (Child, Adolescent and Parent Services) program in Laredo,” they wrote. “She later became employed at the Border Region Behavioral Health Center in Laredo as a CAPS Counselor, which allowed her to visit the victim at school under the pretext of offering guidance and support for the child. The arrest was the result of tip information received through Crime Stoppers, so a reward will be paid.”
Rodriguez’s criminal history also includes an arrest for driving while intoxicated, they said.
LATEST NEWS: Texas Top 10 Most Wanted Fugitive Captured in Mexico
AUSTIN – A TX 10 Most Wanted offender — Iris Iliana Rodriguez — is back in custody after their arrest in Dec. in the State of Jalisco, Mexico. A Crime Stoppers reward will be paid. More ➡ https://t.co/uiICOWBvei. pic.twitter.com/PYL1XXoOTv
— Texas DPS (@TxDPS) January 12, 2024
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