After a Decade on the Run, Sexual Assault Suspect in Custody and Facing Justice

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Fairfax County, VA – After over a decade on the run, a 2013 sexual assault suspect was arrested in El Salvador and extradited back to Fairfax County to face justice.

On October 21, 2013, officers responded to the 7200 block of Commerce Street in Springfield for a sexual assault report. The victim was sexually assaulted by an unknown male while inside a residence. Officers and detectives collected evidence from the scene.

With the help of a DNA profile established from collected evidence in 2014, detectives arrested David Ernesto Cuevas Maldonado, 27, of Springfield and charged him with Sexual Assault. Maldonado was released on bond and subsequently fled to El Salvador.

2014
2024

In coordination with the United States Department of Justice, Maldonaldo was arrested in El Salvador pursuant to an INTERPOL Red Notice on April 25, 2022. The United States presented an extradition request on June 23, 2022. Extradition was granted on April 29, 2024, and Maldonado was then extradited to Fairfax County on May 22, 2024. He is being held at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center with no bond.

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with Salvadoran authorities to secure the arrest and extradition of Maldonaldo.

Anyone with additional information regarding this incident is encouraged to call our Major Crimes Bureau at 703-246-7800, option 3. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through Crime Solvers by phone – 1-866-411-TIPS (866-411-8477), and by web Click HERE. Download the ‘P3 Tips’ App “Fairfax Co Crime Solvers.” Anonymous tipsters are eligible for cash rewards. Please leave contact information if you wish for a detective to follow up with you.  Victim specialists from our Major Crimes Bureau’s Victim Services Division have been assigned to ensure that the family is receiving appropriate resources and assistance.

Victim specialists from our Major Crimes Bureau’s Victim Services Division have been assigned to ensure the victim’s family is receiving appropriate resources and assistance. 

For a link to our Cold Case page, visit here.

For ongoing updates, please read our blog and follow us on X, Facebook and Instagram at @FairfaxCountyPD.

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