The U.S. Marshals have added a convicted murderer who escaped from a Texas prison in 2010 to the Marshals' 15 Most Wanted fugitives list.
Authorities have intensified their search for 32-year-old Jose Bustos-Diaz, and they are asking the public for information that could lead to his arrest.
"Jose Bustos-Diaz poses a significant threat to the public as a fugitive who was convicted for murder and sentenced to 35 years in prison in a court of law," U.S. Marshals Service Director Donald Washington said. "We added Bustos-Diaz to our 15 Most Wanted fugitive list because locating and apprehending this violent escapee is a top priority, and we will use every available resource to bring him to justice."
In 2005, Bustos-Diaz pled guilty to murdering a woman in Harris County whose body was found beaten and stabbed multiple times, U.S. Marshals said.
He was sentenced to 35 years in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
According to U.S. Marshals, on April 6, 2010, Bustos-Diaz escaped from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Dolph Briscoe Unit in Frio County about 75 miles southwest of San Antonio.
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Bustos-Diaz apparently fled through a hole in a fence with a fellow inmate, Octavio Ramos-Lopez.
Ramos-Lopez, who was convicted in Hidalgo County, was serving 20 years for two counts of aggravated kidnapping and 12 years for possession of cocaine and possession with intent to deliver cocaine.
An arrest warrant was issued for both men, and local authorities contacted the U.S. Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force to assist with the manhunt.
The fugitive investigation into the whereabouts of the escapees led authorities to a residence in Reynosa, Mexico, where Ramos-Lopez was arrested and returned to the U.S. with the assistance of Mexican authorities.
U.S. Marshals said Bustos-Diaz eluded capture and remains on the run.
"We will leave no stone unturned until Jose Bustos-Diaz is back behind bars," U.S. Marshal Susan Pamerleau of the Western District of Texas said. "Bustos-Diaz was serving a 35-year sentence in prison before his escape. With the public's help and our investigative resources, he will finish that sentence."
Bustos-Diaz is a 5'8" male weighing approximately 160 pounds with black hair and brown eyes, U.S. Marshals said.
According to U.S. Marshals, he has facial acne scars and tattoos of a heart with a cross on his left hand, the name "Vanessa" on the inside of his left wrist, and the name "Lizeth" on the inside of his right wrist.
U.S. Marshals are offering a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading directly to his arrest.
Anyone with information should contact the nearest U.S. Marshals office, the U.S. Marshals Service Communications Center at 1-877-WANTED-2, or online via the web or an app at www.usmarshals.gov/tips.
