U.S. Marshals 15 Most Wanted Fugitive Captured in Mexico in January Extradited Back to NY to Face Charges in Murder of 6-Week-Old Baby

Syracuse, NY – A U.S. Marshals 15 Most Wanted fugitive who was arrested in Mexico in January extradited today to New York to face the charges against him in Albany County in the 2019 murder of an infant.

Anthony Ojeda, aka Erik Jonathan Donas-Ojeda, 42, who was added to the 15 Most Wanted list in May 2022, was wanted by the Cohoes Police Department in New York for homicide.

On Jan. 24, Anthony Ojeda and his husband Neil Garzon were captured in Mexico City, Mexico, after more than two years on the run together.

Ojeda has been in the custody of Mexican authorities pending formal extradition proceedings from the Republic of Mexico. Garzon was returned to the U.S. Jan. 26 by Mexico authorities to face the charges against him in Albany County of endangering the welfare of a child and hindering prosecution.

“I am very pleased that members of the United States Marshals Service, with the devoted cooperation of the Cohoes Police, the New York State Police, the U.S. Marshals Foreign Field Office in Mexico, and Interpol Mexico, succeeded in locating and extraditing these two fugitives from justice from the country of Mexico,” said David McNulty, U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of New York. “And that they are both now back in the Capitol District to face prosecution and justice for 6-week-old Eli Ojeda.”

On Dec. 3, 2019, the Cohoes Police Department and local emergency medical services responded to a Cohoes area apartment for an unresponsive 6-week-old boy. The child, Eli Ojeda, died at the hospital.

The subsequent investigation and autopsy revealed the baby died of acute methamphetamine toxicity and physical trauma.

As a result, Ojeda, who claimed to be the child’s father, was charged with second-degree murder. Both Ojeda and Garzon were arraigned and later released on bond.

On Aug. 24, 2021, Ojeda failed to appear for a scheduled court appearance and made no notifications to the court regarding his absence. It was later determined that Ojeda and Garzon fled the area together to avoid prosecution. The Cohoes Police Department then formally requested the assistance of the U.S. Marshals in the Northern District of New York with locating and apprehending Ojeda and Garzon.

INTERPOL–Mexico conducted the arrest of Ojeda with the support of U.S. Marshals from the Mexico Foreign Field Office and from the Northern District of New York.

CDMX Secretaria de Seguridad Ciudadana Police and Fiscalia del Estado de Mexico conducted the arrest of Garzon with the support of U.S. Marshals from the Mexico Foreign Field Office and from the Northern District of New York.

The USMS credits INTERPOL-Mexico, Instituto Nacional de Migracion (INM), CDMX Secretaria de Seguridad Ciudadana Police and Fiscalia del Estado de Mexico for their critical assistance. During this investigation, the U.S. Marshals partnered with INTERPOL-Mexico, the Cohoes Police Department, the New York State Police, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York, and the Albany County District Attorney’s Office. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided substantial assistance.

U.S. Marshals work with the international law enforcement community to apprehend fugitives abroad as well as to seek foreign fugitives living or residing in the United States. The Marshals protect the public from international fugitives through coordinated enforcement efforts with foreign and domestic law enforcement.

The USMS 15 Most Wanted fugitive program draws attention to some of the country’s most dangerous and high-profile fugitives. These fugitives tend to be career criminals with histories of violence who pose a significant threat to public safety.

Generally, 15MW fugitives are considered the “worst of the worst” and can include murderers, sex offenders, major drug kingpins, organized crime figures and individuals wanted for high-profile financial crimes. Since the program began in 1983, more than 250 15MW fugitive cases have been closed.

The USMS has a long history of providing assistance and expertise to other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies in support of their fugitive investigations. Working with authorities at the federal, state, tribal, and local levels, USMS-led fugitive task forces arrested more than 73,000 fugitives and cleared more than 86,000 warrants in FY 2023.

Source: U.S. Marshals Service, usmarshals.gov