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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Ryan Fahey

One of FBI's most-wanted found working as yoga teacher in Mexico after 12 year search

A 12-year search for one of the FBI's most-wanted fugitives has finally come to an end after the killer was found working as a yoga teacher in sunny Mexico.

Jorge Rueda Landeros, now known as León Ferrara, was seized earlier this month in Mexico's western city of Guadalajara.

Landeros is suspected of being responsible for a murder from more than a decade ago.

In 2010, American University professor Sue Marcum, 52, was found dead at the bottom of her basement staircase of her new home in Bethesda, Maryland.

Blunt force trauma and asphyxiation were listed as Ms Marcum's cause of death, investigators confirmed at the time.

Cops later found the DNA from under her nails and the crime scene belonged to Landeros, FBI reports have claimed.

Detectives also discovered a life insurance policy totalling $500,000 (£415,000) with Landeros listed as the beneficiary.

The FBI wants him in connection to the murder of American University professor Sue Marcum (FBI)
Ms Marcum's cause of death was listed as blunt force trauma and asphyxiation (FBI)

The lecturer had become fascinated with him after the pair became yoga buddies and Landeros taught her Spanish.

The pair couldn't be romantically linked, reports say.

He now faces charges of first-degree murder and unlawful flight.

After the 2010 killing, cops tipped Landeros as the prime suspect but he couldn't be found.

But the murder didn't deter Landeros from continuing with the eastern meditative practice, with him setting up a popular studio and teaching a loyal group of students when he arrived in Mexico.

Sue Marcum and Landeros had become close because he taught her Spanish and went to yoga classes together (American University)

In an interview with Spanish outlet El Pais while he was locked up, Landeros denied any involvement in Ms Marcum's killing.

He said: "I am innocent… not of everything, obviously, but of what I’m being accused of.

"Once I disappeared from the radar, I completely forgot about the investigation.

"I still have difficulty responding to the name Jorge – I hardly have any of him inside of me anymore."

His friends and yoga students launched into action after he disappeared, only to be later told that an Interpol arrest warrant for him had been actioned (FBI)

Landeros - who is a dual US and Mexican citizen - is thought to be awaiting extradition to the US.

His arrest has stunned his yoga students, El Pais reports.

Maria, a yoga student, said she reported Landeros missing after he failed to show up for their class.

She said: "When I filed the report, the cops said 'your friend isn’t missing, he’s in custody and has an Interpol file... We can’t tell you more'.

"I feel like I’m grieving, I know León, but I don’t know who Jorge is.

"If I ever have the opportunity to sit down with him, I’ll have to ask him a lot of questions."

After he disappeared, his students launched a huge manhunt to track him down after hearing that he was last seen taking his two Pomeranians for a walk but failing to return home.

Having no partner, kids or close relatives in the city, it was up to his pals to track him down.

But after filing a missing persons case, they found that his name didn't exist in the population register.

Three days of worry passed before his students were told the truth about their beloved instructor.

Montgomery County, the office in charge of his case, has praised the international community for helping them to carry out justice.

Police Chief Marcus Jones said: "We are happy they were able to snatch him after all the years.

"This is a fabulous outcome to get this guy in custody."

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