The Department of Public Safety (DPS) has escalated its efforts to apprehend a repeat sex offender, Carlos Jose Ayala Morales, by naming him the Featured Fugitive for March. A heightened reward of $6,000 is now on offer for tips that lead to his capture this month, provided the information is reported through authorized channels. Ayala Morales, a 43-year-old with a history of sexual offenses, has been on the run from Harris County authorities since February 2025, wanted for a recent charge of attempted indecency with a child by sexual contact, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Ayala Morales was previously convicted in 2000 for burglary and received a six-month sentence. In a troubling turn of events, he was later convicted again in 2018 for multiple incidents of indecency with minors, including two 14-year-old girls and one 12-year-old girl, plus an exposure incident involving an 8-year-old girl, as detailed by the Texas Department of Public Safety. The offender was sentenced to serve seven years for each crime, to be served concurrently, and was subsequently released from a Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) facility in 2024. Described as 5 feet 10 inches tall, weighing approximately 250 pounds, and adorned with tattoos on his abdomen, back, right hand, and both arms, Morales is a person to keep an observant eye out for.
As reported by the DPS, Texas Crime Stoppers is the organization fueling the search by providing cash rewards for information leading to the arrest of individuals on Texas' 10 Most Wanted lists, which encompasses Fugitives, Sex Offenders, and Criminal Illegal Immigrants. The program, backed by the Governor's Public Safety Office, has been substantially successful so far in 2025. The coordinated efforts between DPS and various agencies have led to the arrest of 13 wanted felons, including 3 sex offenders and 4 criminal illegal immigrants, paying out $20,000 in rewards for actionable tips.
To be eligible for the reward money, tipsters must provide information through one of three approved methods: calling the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477), submitting a web tip on the DPS website under the fugitive's photo, or submitting a Facebook tip through the designated link in the "About" section on the DPS page.
