Joseph Ronnie Raker, who was wanted in connection with a double homicide in Wakulla County, Florida, has been arrested in Mexico. Image is courtesy of the Wakulla County Sheriff's Office.
CRAWFORDVILLE, Fla. - Mexican authorities and U.S. Marshals captured double-homicide suspect Joseph Ronnie Raker in Mexico, south of Brownsville, Texas, concluding an intensive international manhunt, officials said.
International manhunt ends
What we know:
Law enforcement officers captured Joseph Ronnie Raker in Mexico, south of Brownsville, Texas, through joint work by the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force and Mexican authorities.
The arrest ends a search that began earlier this month after deputies linked him to the deaths of Rebecca Lynn Thomas, 58, and John William Luper III, 49.
Deputies initially responded around 9:20 p.m. Aug. 2 to a Crawfordville business where a person who they say was acting erratically, reported a shooting at 740 Otter Creek Road. An initial search of the home yielded no victims, but deputies found signs of a confrontation in the yard by 11 p.m. and secured the area.
At 1:30 a.m. Aug. 3, a fire broke out inside the home, and deputies pulled Raker from the burning building, according to the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office.
Hospital workers treated Raker for smoke inhalation around 2:20 a.m., where detectives said they conducted a consensual interview. Raker, according to detectives, blamed another person for the harm and left after investigators lacked evidence or probable cause to detain him.
According to WCSO, search teams later found Luper’s body hidden in heavy brush in the St. Marks Refuge around 11 a.m. Aug. 3. At 2:30 p.m., K-9 Sandy located Thomas’s body under debris about 100 yards away, prompting murder warrants for Raker later that night.
Wakulla murder investigation
What we don't know:
Officials have not disclosed how Thomas and Luper died, calling the killings a horrific act of violence. Authorities also do not know how or when Raker re-entered the house on Otter Creek Road before the fire started.
Law enforcement agencies have not detailed the specific technology used to locate Raker during his time on the run.
Investigation continues
What's next:
Detectives are working with the Office of the State Attorney for the Second Judicial Circuit to prepare the case for court.
Investigators are continuing to gather evidence, and Sheriff Jared Miller stated that additional arrests are expected for anyone who aided in the crimes or assisted Raker.
What they're saying:
In a social media post, Sheriff Miller wrote, "We will not forget Rebecca Thomas or John Luper, and we will not stop until every person responsible has been brought to justice."
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from statements by Wakulla County Sheriff Jared Miller, as well as details provided by WCSO Major Eddie Wester.