The suspect in the 2020 slaying of 22-year-old Lesly Palacio was reportedly arrested in Mexico, as disclosed by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD). In a statement given to News 3 Las Vegas, LVMPD noted, "The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department has been notified that Erick Rangel-Ibarra was taken into custody by authorities in Mexico." He is now waiting for a decision on his potential extradition to the United States.
News of the manhunt's conclusion comes almost four years after Palacio's family first reported her missing on August 29, 2020. Rangel-Ibarra was wanted on a warrant for open murder but managed to somehow remain beyond the grasp of the authorities. His capture is a significant development in a case that has troubled the Vegas community.
According to a report by KTNV, the body of Palacio was discovered a little over a month later in September 2020, in a deserted area near the Valley of Fire State Park. The tragic case has lingered in the public conscience, stirred by the appalling circumstances of Palacio's death and Rangel-Ibarra's subsequent flight.
