Cape Coral sex abuse suspect caught in Mexico; faces extradition

CAPE CORAL, Fla. — A man wanted for sexually assaulting a child more than three years ago has been caught after an international manhunt.

According to a Cape Coral Police Department, Jesus Leon Leyva, 41, was located in Mexico and is now in custody in Harris County, Texas, awaiting extradition to Lee County.

Cape Coral Police officers first responded on Dec. 19, 2022, to a report that a male suspect had exposed himself and sexually assaulted a child at an apartment in Cape Coral two days prior.

Leyva fled the area after the assault, triggering a multi-agency manhunt.

Investigators with the U.S. Marshals Service Florida/Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force in Fort Myers eventually tracked Leyva to Mexico, where they worked with the USMS Office of International Operations and Mexican authorities to take him into custody.

The Cape Coral Police Department's Special Victims Unit led the investigation, which remains ongoing.