Share and Follow
FORT MYERS, Fla. (WFLA)— An escaped prisoner from Puerto Rico was arrested in Lee County after 40 years on the run.
According to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Puerto Rico authorities reached out to the sheriff’s office about an escaped prisoner who could be living in Lee County.
Jorge Milla-Valdes escaped from a Puerto Rico prison in 1987, and authorities believed he was living under the name Luis Aguirre.
- 1 dead after stabbing in Port Richey, deputies say
- Escaped prisoner from Puerto Rico caught after 40 years in Florida
Deputies said Milla-Valdes had a criminal history under the name Luis Aguirre that included robbery and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon in Monroe County.
LCSO Fugitive Warrants unit began searching for Milla-Valdes and obtained his fingerprints from 1986 in Puerto Rico as well as the fingerprints from his criminal history in Monroe County.
Latent fingerprint supervisor Tina Carver took the two fingerprints and within 15 minutes, she was able to match the prints, confirming that Milla-Valdes and Aguirre were the same person.
After the positive match, the Fugitive Warrants unit was able to locate Milla-Valdes in Ft. Myers Shores and he was taken into custody on Friday, deputies said.
“Thanks to the hard work and determination of my Fugitive Warrants Unit and Latent Fingerprints Supervisor Tina Carver, a positive fingerprint identification was made within MINUTES. My team’s skill is unmatched at every level; even if your crimes don’t start here in Lee County, I promise, they WILL end here,” said Sheriff Carmine Marceno.
