AUSTIN – Rene Morales Munoz, one of the longest running Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives, is now in custody after being deported from Mexico yesterday. Munoz, 44, was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service in Houston - 14 months after a tip came in from Texas Crime Stoppers to DPS that alerted authorities that the Texas Mexican Mafia gang member was in Mexico. Anonymous tipsters will share the $10,000 cash reward.

The initial tip and others that followed helped place Munoz in Puerto Vallarta, where he reportedly was selling time shares to tourists under an assumed name. DPS Criminal Investigations Division Agents, DPS Intelligence & Counterterrorism Analysts and the U.S. Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force continued to gather information that ultimately led to Munoz’s arrest. U.S. authorities were able to secure his deportation with the assistance of law enforcement officials in Mexico and Munoz arrived by plane in Houston, ending more than seven years on the run.

Munoz has been a fugitive since a 2005 murder in Frio County. He also had outstanding warrants issued by the U.S. Marshals Service for Kidnapping, Aggravated Assault and Sexual Assault.

For more information, please see Munoz’s wanted poster at: http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/Texas10MostWanted/fugitiveDetails.aspx?id=6.

Texas Crime Stoppers, which is funded by the Governor’s Criminal Justice Division, offers cash rewards to any person who provides information that leads to the arrest of one of the Texas 10 Most Wanted fugitives or sex offenders.

Anyone with information can provide anonymous tips in four different ways:

• Call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477).
• Text the letters DPS—followed by your tip—to 274637 (CRIMES) from your cell phone.
• Submit a web tip through the DPS website by selecting the fugitive you have information about, and then clicking on the link under their picture.
• Submit a Facebook tip at http://www.facebook.com/texas10mostwanted by clicking the “SUBMIT A TIP” link (under the “About” section).

All calls, texts, e-mails and Facebook messages are anonymous.

DPS investigators work with local law enforcement agencies to select fugitives for the Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitive and Sex Offender lists. You can find the current lists—with photos—on the DPS website at http://www.dps.texas.gov/texas10mostwanted/.

Do not attempt to apprehend these fugitives yourself; they are considered armed and dangerous.