A man wanted for years on multiple child rape charges out of Manassas, Virginia, is now behind bars in North Carolina after U.S. Marshals tracked him to Swannanoa and chased him down on foot when he tried to run. Donaldo Antonio Buezo Hernandez, 53, was taken into custody on September 10, ending a manhunt that stretched across at least three states.
According to a news release from the U.S. Marshals Service, deputies with the Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force found and arrested Buezo Hernandez in Swannanoa after a brief foot pursuit when he attempted to flee. The warrants against him consist of four counts of rape of a victim under 13 years of age, charges he fled Virginia after learning were pending, the release states.
The case traces back to Manassas, where, as reported by WTOP News, an investigation began on April 14, 2023, after a now-adult victim came forward to report years of sexual abuse she experienced as a juvenile. Investigators later identified a second juvenile victim, who reported serial assaults by the same offender. Police say Buezo Hernandez is a family member known to both victims. He now faces four counts of rape of a victim under 13, per the outlet's report.
A Trail That Led From Pennsylvania to the North Carolina Mountains
Manassas detectives developed new leads on Buezo Hernandez's whereabouts after he fled Virginia once he learned of the pending charges, the same account notes. Detectives tracked him to Pennsylvania, where local and federal agencies attempted to locate and arrest him, but that effort came up empty. Investigators later learned in August that he had moved on to North Carolina, setting up the arrest in Swannanoa this week.
The takedown was carried out by the U.S. Marshals Service Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force, a unit formed in January 2018, according to the Marshals' release. The U.S. Marshals Service's Eastern District of Virginia office is also identified in the agency's materials.
Booked in Asheville, Awaiting Extradition to Virginia
Following his arrest in North Carolina, Buezo Hernandez is being held pending extradition to Virginia, WTOP News reports.
Under North Carolina's Uniform Criminal Extradition Act, Donaldo Antonio Buezo Hernandez must either waive extradition to Virginia or undergo formal extradition proceedings involving a Governor's Warrant, but Donaldo Antonio Buezo Hernandez may be eligible for bail depending on the circumstances, according to guidance published by the UNC School of Government. It remains unclear whether Buezo Hernandez will waive extradition or contest the process, which could affect how quickly he is returned to Virginia to face the charges.
What Buezo Hernandez Could Face in a Virginia Courtroom
The stakes for Buezo Hernandez are steep under Virginia law. Section 18.2-61 of the Code of Virginia mandates a minimum 25-year prison sentence for a conviction of rape of a child under 13 when the offender is more than three years older than the victim, and a mandatory life sentence if the offender was 18 or older at the time of the crime, according to a legal explainer from Simms Showers LLP.
The case involves a years-long gap between the alleged abuse and the criminal charges. Manassas detectives brought charges in 2023 tied to abuse alleged to have occurred years earlier during a victim's childhood.
In this case, police say Buezo Hernandez is a family member known to both victims.
The case remains pending. Buezo Hernandez faces the charges, and it is not yet clear when he will make his first court appearance in Virginia.
