At a Glance
- Alejandro Rosales Castillo was captured in Mexico on Jan. 16, nearly a decade after vanishing
- He is accused of shooting 23-year-old co-worker Truc Quan “Sandy” Ly Le over a $1,000 debt in 2016
- Castillo, 17 at the time of the killing, fled in the victim’s car and crossed into Mexico
- Why it matters: The arrest ends a cross-border manhunt that spanned multiple agencies and offers long-awaited relief to the victim’s family
Alejandro Rosales Castillo, one of the FBI’s “10 Most Wanted” fugitives, has been captured in Mexico after evading authorities for more than nine years. The 26-year-old is wanted for the 2016 murder of his co-worker Truc Quan “Sandy” Ly Le in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Capture
Mexican authorities took Castillo into custody on Jan. 16 in Hidalgo, Mexico, according to an FBI release. The operation involved the FBI’s Law Enforcement Attaché Office in Mexico City, the Agencia de Investigación Criminal-INTERPOL Vetted Team and the Secretaría de Seguridad y Protección Ciudadana.
Castillo is now detained in Mexico City while extradition proceedings to North Carolina move forward.
Timeline of the Crime
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Aug. 9, 2016 | Le agrees to meet Castillo so he can repay $1,000 |
| Aug. 16, 2016 | Castillo crosses from Nogales, Ariz., into Mexico |
| Aug. 17, 2016 | Le’s body is found; car discovered at Phoenix bus station |
| Nov. 2, 2016 | State arrest warrant issued for first-degree murder |
| Feb. 10, 2017 | Federal warrant issued for unlawful flight |
| Oct. 24, 2017 | Castillo added to FBI Ten Most Wanted list |
| Jan. 16, 2026 | Capture in Mexico |
The Victim and the Suspect
Le and Castillo worked together at a restaurant. Text messages show they arranged to meet so Castillo could repay a $1,000 debt. Instead, investigators say Castillo forced Le to withdraw more cash from an ATM, then drove her to woods outside Charlotte and shot her in the head.
Castillo was 17 at the time of the killing. He fled in Le’s car, which was later found in Phoenix. His girlfriend, Ahmia Feaster, accompanied him and surrendered in Mexico two months later. She was charged with felony accessory after the fact and felony larceny of a motor vehicle. A third person, Felipe Ulloa, was charged with accessory after the fact of murder in 2017.
Investigation and Reward
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and FBI Charlotte worked the case from day one. In 2023, the reward for information leading to Castillo’s arrest was increased from $100,000 to $250,000, according to the FBI’s Inside the FBI podcast.
FBI Director Kash Patel hailed the arrest as the fifth Ten Most Wanted capture since last year. “This was outstanding work by our Charlotte team, FBI Legat Mexico, local and federal partners, and partners in Mexico – and we can now begin the process of delivering long-awaited justice for Sandy Ly Le’s family,” Patel said.
Agencies Involved
- FBI Charlotte
- FBI Law Enforcement Attaché Office Mexico City
- Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department
- Homeland Security Investigations Charlotte
- U.S. Secret Service
- Government of Mexico
- FBI International Operations Division
- FBI Criminal Division
- U.S. Department of State
- U.S. Attorney’s Office Western District of North Carolina
- Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office
Family Reaction
FBI Charlotte Special Agent in Charge James C. Barnacle Jr. addressed the victim’s family: “Sadly, Sandy’s family began another new year without her. We hope knowing her accused killer is in custody will provide some level of solace now.”
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Chief of Police Estella D. Patterson added, “Bringing this fugitive to justice makes Charlotte and other communities safer, and while nothing can heal the loss Sandy’s family has endured, we hope this step brings them some peace.”
Key Takeaways
- Castillo became the 516th person placed on the Ten Most Wanted list
- The capture required coordination across two countries and multiple agencies
- Extradition will return him to North Carolina to face murder charges
- Investigators never closed the case, tracking leads for nearly a decade
- The arrest closes a painful chapter for Le’s family and the Charlotte community
