FBI agents this week brought a long-sought murder suspect back to Sacramento, closing the chapter on a years-long international manhunt and reopening an old wound for a local family. Officials identified the suspect as 49-year-old Jose Guadalupe Lopez Nunez, who was located in Mexico last year and flown to Sacramento to face charges in the 2017 death of his girlfriend. He was booked into the county main jail, appeared for arraignment in Sacramento Superior Court and is being held without bail.
Arrest and extradition
Lopez Nunez was apprehended near Mezquital del Oro in the Mexican state of Zacatecas on Aug. 31, 2025, after a tip from the public, then extradited to the United States, according to The Sacramento Bee. He was booked at the Sacramento County Main Jail and appeared for arraignment in Sacramento Superior Court, the outlet reports. Court records show he faces a murder charge in the 2017 death of his girlfriend.
Investigation history and warrants
Investigators say an angler discovered the body of Emelina Quintero-Ramos in the Sacramento River near Isleton on Sept. 4, 2017. The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office later obtained a felony no-bail arrest warrant for Lopez Nunez on Oct. 16, 2017, according to the FBI. The agency also secured a federal arrest warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution on Oct. 24, 2017, and issued a wanted poster as part of an international search for him. Authorities say the public tip that finally led to his capture came in 2025, more than seven years after those initial warrants were filed.
Family reaction and next steps
Brian Tosh, acting special agent in charge of the FBI's Sacramento Field Office, said in a news release that Lopez Nunez's arrest "offers some relief to the family of Emelina Quintero-Ramos after many years of waiting for prosecution," according to The Sacramento Bee. Prosecutors are expected to set additional court dates as pretrial proceedings move forward while Lopez Nunez remains in custody without bail.
Legal implications
Lopez Nunez is charged at the state level with murder, while the federal unlawful-flight warrant was used to help locate him and bring him back to the United States, per the FBI. Local prosecutors will determine how the case proceeds through Sacramento Superior Court, and the public record will continue to update as hearings are scheduled.
