A U.S. murder suspect who evaded capture for more than six years has finally been arrested in El Salvador, thanks to the relentless efforts of a grieving mother who refused to give up.
Authorities confirmed that Raymond “R.J.” McLeod, a former U.S. Marine and bodybuilder, was taken into custody last week after years on the run. McLeod was wanted in connection with the 2016 murder of 30-year-old Krystal Mitchell in San Diego, California.
Mitchell’s mother, Josephine Wentzel, a retired police detective, played a crucial role in tracking down her daughter’s suspected killer. After McLeod fled the country, Wentzel used her investigative skills to trace his movements through Guatemala, Belize, and eventually El Salvador, working tirelessly to keep the case alive and visible online.
San Diego District Attorney Summer Stephens credited Wentzel’s determination, saying, “Huge credit goes to the victim’s mother, who never gave up searching for her daughter’s killer and worked closely with law enforcement to make this arrest possible.”
Wentzel first spotted McLeod in a 2017 traveler’s video filmed in Guatemala. By 2018, he was believed to be hiding in Belize but managed to escape before police could reach him. The key breakthrough came in 2021 after Wentzel’s interview with Univision spread across Spanish-language media. A viewer in El Salvador recognized McLeod — who was working as an English teacher under a false identity — and tipped off authorities.
McLeod’s arrest ends one of the U.S. Marshals’ longest-running fugitive manhunts. He now faces extradition to the United States, where he will stand trial for murder.
After years of heartbreak and persistence, Josephine Wentzel’s unyielding pursuit of justice has ensured that her daughter’s accused killer will finally be brought before the court.