Seventeen years after fleeing Arizona, a fugitive was located in Canada thanks to his social media posts. In 2003, Adan Perez Huerta, now 37, pleaded guilty to negligent homicide after a 19-year-old woman was killed when he crashed his car while driving drunk.
Huerta fled the state before his sentencing hearing and has been on the run ever since. Last spring, detectives got a break in the case by checking social media posts from Huerta's family and friends.
Using those posts, investigators managed to track down Huerta and found out that he had been living in Toronto for the past year and was using his real name.
"Social media always leaves a digital footprint," Sgt. Jason McClimans, with the Chandler Police Department, told the Associated Press in an email.
Huerta was taken into custody by Toronto police and extradited back to the United States. He has not been charged with additional crimes, but officials said they are reviewing his case and could file new charges.
Photo: Maricopa County Sheriff's Office