A 22-year-old Spotsylvania man wanted in two rapes along Fredericksburg walking paths has been captured in Guatemala, six days short of a year after the first attack and months after he left the United States following an unrelated arrest. Cesar Paau-Pan was taken into custody in Palencia, Guatemala, on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, with DNA evidence from both Virginia crime scenes pointing to him as the attacker.
Fredericksburg police said a man suspected in two rapes of women along the city's walking paths had been arrested, according to WTOP News. The first attack happened on Oct. 19, 2025, along the Canal Path near Dale Street, between Washington Avenue and Emancipation Highway, as reported by FOX 5 DC. That victim told police she was grabbed from behind and forced to the ground by her attacker, per the same account.
A Second Attack on Ficklen Island
Investigators responded to a second reported rape on May 31, 2026, this time on Ficklen Island, riparian land upstream of Old Mill Park, the station's report states. The victim in that case said she was grabbed and had a rag placed over her mouth during the assault. Both crime scenes yielded DNA evidence, which detectives submitted to the Virginia Department of Forensic Science, according to WJLA, but without a known contributor sample on file, police could not immediately identify a suspect.
The break in the case came indirectly. On June 17, 2026, Fredericksburg police responded to a report of a man exposing himself along the Riverside Drive riverbank and arrested Paau-Pan on an indecent exposure charge. During that interview, a detective noticed Paau-Pan was wearing distinct footwear and had a hand injury consistent with details the May victim had given police, per the same account. Investigators then collected a DNA sample from him for comparison against both rape cases.
Released to ICE, Then Gone Before DNA Match Came Back
Paau-Pan was held on a $1,000 bond at Rappahannock Regional Jail before federal authorities lodged an immigration detainer against him, and he was released into ICE custody on June 19, 2026, the article notes. Fredericksburg police said their policy is not to inquire about immigration status unless it is necessary for an investigation. The seed reporting from WTOP News states Paau-Pan decided to voluntarily depart for Guatemala at an immigration hearing on June 18, 2026, while WJLA reports he voluntarily departed the United States for Guatemala on July 18 following a voluntary departure hearing — accounts that conflict on the exact date.
It was not until Aug. 3 that investigators were notified Paau-Pan's DNA sample matched evidence collected from both the October 2025 and May 2026 assaults, according to the same FOX 5 DC report — by which point he was already out of the country. A grand jury issued indictments against him on Aug. 24, though a court order sealed the indictment information to protect international extradition needs, and police were barred from releasing details while it remained sealed.
Charges Vary Between U.S. and Guatemalan Accounts
Exactly how many charges Paau-Pan faces depends on which account you read. FOX 5 DC and WJLA report he is charged with 11 offenses, including four counts of rape, two counts of forcible sodomy, two counts of abduction with intent to defile, attempted forcible sodomy, aggravated sexual battery and strangulation. Guatemalan authorities, however, reported that U.S. officials are seeking him on 10 charges, including three rape counts, two abduction charges, two forcible-sodomy charges, attempted forcible sodomy, aggravated sexual assault and strangulation, according to Agencia Guatemalteca de Noticias.
Guatemala's Policía Nacional Civil captured Paau-Pan in Palencia on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, with assistance from federal authorities, making him the 40th person sought for U.S. extradition to be arrested in Guatemala so far in 2026, according to Infobae. Guatemala had already logged 102 extradition-related arrests dating back to 2024 as of Oct. 5, including 31 in 2024 and 33 in 2025, per the same outlet.
Extradition Could Take Months
It remains unclear whether Paau-Pan will challenge extradition back to Virginia. Police estimate his return to the United States and Virginia for trial could take several months, WTOP News reports. Under Virginia's extradition process, the governor formally requests extradition once the required documents are complete, according to the Commonwealth of Virginia, though how that process will intersect with the pending Guatemalan proceedings has not been detailed.
