VAN BUREN COUNTY, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Van Buren County authorities teamed up with the FBI to locate the suspect of a 1995 cold case in Mexico.
Authorities have arrested 52-year-old Juan Luis Solis-Reyna in May for the alleged murder of Jose Cruz Armijo-Arreguin.
It all started with a call around 6:30 a.m. on April 24th, 1995 where a woman reported the murder from a payphone in Lawton. She then led deputies to the victim’s body, which had been dumped in the parking lot of a vineyard on 92nd Avenue on 36th Street in Decatur Township.
According to Van Buren County Sheriff Dan Abbott, the murder actually happened in the van the tipster was driving.
Deputies quickly identified Solis-Reyna as their suspect but said he took off, leaving Michigan.
“Through today’s technology, the FBI was able to locate, and track Juan Luis Solis-Reyna in Mexico,” said Abbott who spoke about the case at a press conference on Wednesday, October 5. He went onto say they used that technology in coordination with the FBI and Mexican authorities to track Solis-Reyna in Monterey, located about 100 miles from the Texas boarder.
Through observation, authorities said that he appeared to be living a normal life, and had started a family there.
“The FBI continued to work with our office, and the prosecutors office to get Mr. Solis-Reyna into custody, extraditing him, getting him back to Van Buren County to face charges for open murder, felony firearms, and a flight to avoid prosecution,” said Abbott.
Authorities also said that both the suspect and victim knew each other and were both migrant workers at the time.
Solis-Reyna was extradited back to Michigan on Tuesday night, October 4.
