America's Most Wanted update 05-23-09

Are you interested in some of the cases America's Most Wanted is covering? Do you want to know the latest update? Just click on the name for more details.

Hendersonville, North Carolina… JAIME AROCHE… In 2005, a Hendersonville, N.C. teenager found her mother’s dead body under a pile of dirty blankets in their home. Her mother’s boyfriend, Jaime Aroche, was charged with the murder. Now, AMW is teaming up with cops to help find him.

Middletown, Rhode Island… JAMES BELL … Parents near Providence, R.I., were in for the shock of their lives when they found out that James Bell -- the trusted gymnastics coach at a local YMCA -- was accused of molesting their children. What's more, cops say this is just one incident in a long history of sexual abuse and manipulation. Now, Bell has disappeared, and police are on the manhunt for a predator who they say is responsible for victimizing girls across the country.


Clovis, California… KEVIN VERMETTE… In 1997, cops say Kevin Vermette started an argument with four fellow local gym users about the fitness room's musical selection. When the argument escalated, instead of taking his aggression out on the punching bags, police say Vermette killed the men in cold blood.


Weld County, Colorado… ANTHONY VELEZ… Police say when Anthony Velez got into a fight over a drug dealer's territory in East Tremont, N.Y., he lost big time and left with a bruised ego. A week later, cops say Velez was ready for a rematch, but this time, he wasn't going to lose.


Winnebago County, Wisconsin… VINCENT BOYD… Vincent Boyd, a convicted sex offender, is accused of molesting his own cousins in 2003. Two years later, police say Boyd did it again. Now, cops in Wisconsin have come to America’s Most Wanted for help in bringing him to justice.


Rancho Cucamonga, California… GEORGE AND LYNDA TAYLOR KILLER… Moments after returning home from dinner, Los Angeles County Judge George Taylor was shot and killed by an unknown assailant while he sat in his car. When George’s wife, Lynda, rushed outside to see what happened – she too was murdered in cold blood. Now, cops are searching for clues in hopes of finding their killer.

Concord, North Carolina… HAPPY PHAM…Cops in Houston, Texas have been searching for 24-year-old Happy Tran Pham for more than two years. They say Pham was "unhappy" because the girl he was dating went back with her old boyfriend. Houston detectives believe Pham's jealousy led to the murder of 29-year-old Pierre Mai, and they have surveillance video of the crime.


Peoria, Arizona... 2009 AMW ALL-STAR WINNER… William Weigt, a detective with the Peoria, Ariz. Police Department, has been chosen as the 2009 America’s Most Wanted All-Star Contest Grand Prize Winner. Weigt, who was paralyzed from the chest down after being shot by a suspect, will be profiled as the nation’s top first responder on AMW this Saturday night.

America's Most Wanted update 05-16-09

Are you interested in some of the cases America's Most Wanted is covering? Do you want to know the latest update? Just click on the name for more details.

JOAQUIN “CHAPO” GUZMAN-LOERA … When Mexican authorities seized 23.5 tons of cocaine from a ship at a port in Manzanillo last year, governments north and south of the border bolstered search efforts for the man they say is responsible: one of the world's most notorious drug lords, Joaquin Guzman-Loera. The seizure -- deemed to be by far the largest in Mexico's history -- had an estimated street value of $2.7 billion.

Phoenix, Arizona…PHOENIX GROUND ZERO… Phoenix, Ariz. is the nation's fifth largest city -- a fast-growing metropolis that's become Ground Zero for a unique problem that has law enforcement coming face to face with a new form of an age-old crime. In the Valley of the Sun, the new trend in kidnapping for ransom is criminals targeting other criminals. Because of Arizona's prime location on the U.S.-Mexico border, police say that most kidnap victims and suspects have ties back to Mexico's seedy underworld.

Laredo, Texas JOSEPH GARCIA… … At only 21-years-old, cops say accused killer Joseph Garcia is a member of the Zetas, the main enforcement group for the Mexican Gulf Drug Cartel. Police say Garcia killed for the first time in 2003, and in November of 2008, the U.S. Marshals named him to their 15 Most Wanted list.

Phoenix, Arizona… PHOENIX GUNS… A large number of the high-powered weapons smuggled into Mexico and used by killer drug cartels begin their journey south after being purchased in the U.S. Many of the weapons are sold by gun dealers in the four border states: California, New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona.

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina… BRITTANEE MARIE DREXEL… Brittanee Marie Drexel, a 17-year-old high school junior, disappeared during a spring break trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C. late last month. Cops have had little to go on but are now investigating a possible sighting of Brittanee at a convenience store just outside of Myrtle Beach.


Skamania, Washington… MICHAEL AND TEVEN COLLINS… Thanks to AMW tipsters, Michael Collins and his 16-year-old son Teven were captured in late March after allegedly attacking a skier in Washington State and making off with his SUV. The Collins boys are charged with attempted murder and first degree robbery and are now awaiting trial.