U.S. Marshals, PR Partner Agencies Make Significant Arrests in January, Including One on PR’s 10 Most Wanted List

San Juan, PR – In January, the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Puerto Rico Violent Offenders Task Force (PRVOTF), with assistance from their partner agencies, arrested one man wanted by the State of Puerto Rico on multiple offenses, including kidnapping and rape, and another man who was on Puerto Rico’s 10 Most Wanted list for multiple counts of first-degree murder.

Hiram Echevarria-Rios, 52, is facing charges of sexual assault, kidnapping, aggravated kidnapping, firearm offenses (shooting or pointing), abuse, assault, and aggravated robbery, under the Penal Code, Weapons Law, and the Law for the Prevention of Abuse, Preservation of Family Unity, and Protection of Minors in Puerto Rico stemming from an October 2024 incident.

According to an investigation by Agent Mercedes Marín, assigned to the Sexual Crimes Division of the Police Bureau, in October 2024, the victim went to visit her son at her ex-partner's home in the municipality of Añasco. The ex-partner asked her to transport Echevarría Ríos to his residence in Moca. Upon arriving at the destination, Echevarría Ríos is alleged to have pointed a gun at her and kidnapped her, along with her son, a minor with special needs. The accused allegedly forced the victim to drive to his residence in Carolina, where he allegedly sexually assaulted her multiple times. The following day, he is alleged to have forced her to transport him again to Moca and stolen the victim's vehicle, leaving her with the minor on Expressway 22 in Manatí.

Prosecutor Jesús Peluyera Berríos, from the Specialized Unit for Domestic Violence, Sexual Crimes, and Child Abuse at the Carolina Prosecutor’s Office, filed 13 charges against Echevarría Ríos. Judge Anette Santiago Díaz of the Carolina Court of First Instance found cause for arrest on all charges and set a global bond of $260,000 for Echevarria-Rios.

He was arrested Jan. 15 without incident in the town of San Sebastián.

On Jan. 8 the USMS PRVOTF, in conjunction with the Bayamon Arrest unit, arrested one of the island’s most wanted fugitives, identified as the main suspect in several murders in Corozal in 2016. 

Harelson Marrero Ortiz, 32, of Corozal, wanted in the Bayamón region, faces five charges of first-degree murder and one of attempted murder. 

On Nov. 13, 2016, an anonymous call to the 9-1-1 Emergency System alerted police to a shooting at the Ecomaxx gas station on the PR-142 highway in Corozal. Agents who responded to the scene found four people deceased at the scene, while a fifth victim died at a hospital. In total, five men were killed in the shooting.

From the PRPD investigation it appears that, during the night, an argument arose between two individuals who were at the location. After the altercation, one of them opened fire on the people present.

The victims were identified as Jorge L. Nevárez San Félix, 26; Jensen Yamil García Marrero, 30; Víctor Rodríguez Morales, 44; Misael Nieves Colón; and Xavier Azor Agosto Fortiz.
Judge Milagros Muñiz Mas found cause on first-degree murder of five individuals, as well as one count of attempted murder. A global bond of $6 million was set and an arrest warrant was issued for Marrero Ortiz.

The Puerto Rico Police Bureau Dec. 16, 2024, requested the assistance of the PRVOTF in locating and apprehending Marrero Ortiz, and he was taken into custody without incident at a residence belonging to a relative at Calle 15 Urb. Villa Blanca in the town of Caguas.

“The U.S. Marshals Service continues working hand in hand with the Puerto Rico Police Bureau and other partner agencies to find and take off the streets those violent individuals who think they are above the law,” said Wilmer Ocasio-Ibarra, U.S. Marshal for the District of Puerto Rico. “Wanted fugitives such as these men should know that no matter where they hide, the U.S. Marshals will find and arrest them to help keep our communities safe.”

The U.S. Marshals Service encourages the community to continue to collaborate with our deputies on tips that help find the whereabouts of a fugitive by contacting our local office at (787) 766-6540, calling the U.S. Marshals Service Communication Center at 1 (800) 336-0102, or submitting tips using the USMS Tips App.