Guatemalan man arrested in connection to two decade old murder case
Suspect arrested in cold case murder after 25 years
Perez was found in Guatemala after being arrested and fingerprinted there in 2023. The FBI tracked him down, and now he's behind bars facing four charges. Police say Machek was murdered in October 2001, and investigators believe the motive was identity theft. They say Perez used Machek's credit cards in Mexico days after Machek's disappearance.
DETROIT (FOX 2) - The FBI and local police teamed up to arrest and charge a Guatemalan man in connection with a Farmington Hills murder dating back to 2001.
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Forty-four-year-old Edgardo Perez was tracked down after nearly 25 years and brought back to the United States to face a judge.
Perez was found in Guatemala after being arrested and fingerprinted there in 2023. The FBI tracked him down, and now he's behind bars facing four charges. Police say Machek was murdered in October 2001, and investigators believe the motive was identity theft. They say Perez used Machek's credit cards in Mexico days after Machek's disappearance.
Machek's neighbors were very close to him and said he was a wonderful man taken too soon. Here's what they had to say about the arrest nearly a quarter-century later.
"It was never forgotten. These types of investigations, this one in particular, stands out to me," said retired Farmington Hills Police Chief Bill Dwyer. "I had been in law enforcement for a long time. It's something you don't forget. I was at the scene of the homicide that night. It's something you always remember."
"To anyone who believes they can flee our borders to evade responsibility and accountability, today's announcement sends a clear message," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Runyon. "Distance doesn't erase responsibility. And time does not diminish our resolve."
Perez's bond was denied.