MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Manatee County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) said a man wanted for a 2019 murder in Palmetto has been found and captured in Mexico City.
Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said Irving Zuniga, 27, was taken into custody in Mexico City on Saturday.
On June 29, 2019, Zuniga is accused of getting into an argument with 18-year-old Jesus Molinan outside of a residence in the 1200 block of Martin Luther King Place in Palmetto, a little after midnight. MCSO said Zuniga then shot Molina in the head and took his body to a remote area in Manatee County and left him along the roadside.
MCSO said a warrant was issued for Zuniga’s arrest, and an extensive search was conducted to find the suspect in Manatee County. Detectives then learn Zuniga had allegedly fled the U.S. and was living in Mexico.
Over the summer of 2025, MCSO said detectives worked with the FBI and located Zuniga in Mexico City. With the help of local authorities in Mexico, Zuniga was captured, deported back to Miami and taken into custody by MCSO.
He is charged with second-degree murder and is being held without bond.
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