Local Police Reports

FBI: Chicago Murder Suspect Added to FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List

Fidel Urbina, FBI photo
Fidel Urbina, the subject of a nationwide manhunt since 1999 in connection with two sexual assaults and murder, has been named to the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. The former Chicago resident is wanted for allegedly beating and raping a woman in March 1998, and seven months later—while free on bond—for beating, raping, and strangling a second Chicago woman to death. That woman’s body was found in the trunk of a burned-out car. Description: Height: 5’11” to 6’1”; Weight: 165 to 175 pounds; Hair: Black; Eyes: Brown; Race: White (Hispanic) (PHOTO: FBI)

Chicago, IL-(ENEWSPF)- A former Chicago resident wanted for the brutal sexual assault and murder of one woman and the beating and sexual assault of a second woman has been added to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, announced Robert D. Grant, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Chicago Office. Joining Mr. Grant in making this announcement are Garry F. McCarthy, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department (CPD); Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart; and Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez.

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Fidel Urbina, age 37, whose last known address was in the 2100 block of South Fairfield, has been the subject of a nationwide manhunt since 1999 after being charged in a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution following the aggravated criminal sexual assault of a Chicago woman.

In March 1998, Urbina was arrested by the CPD and later charged with kidnapping, brutally beating, and raping a woman in Chicago. Subsequent to his arrest, Urbina was released on bond pending his trial in Cook County Circuit Court. While out on bond, Urbina was also suspected of assaulting and bludgeoning to death 22-year-old Gabriella Torres. Her body was found in the trunk of an automobile, which had been abandoned in an alley in the 2300 block of West 50th Street in Chicago. The vehicle had been set on fire and Torres’ body was badly burned. Urbina has since been charged with this crime as well. Attempts to locate and apprehend Urbina by local police were unsuccessful, as he had apparently fled the state.

On July 20, 1999, a federal arrest warrant was issued for Urbina and on August 26, 2006, a provisional arrest warrant was signed by a Mexican Federal Magistrate. Despite extensive investigation, including the case being profiled nationally on “America’s Most Wanted” and locally on “Chicago’s Most Wanted,” Urbina remains at large and his whereabouts are unknown. As such, the FBI is renewing its request for assistance from the public in locating and apprehending this wanted fugitive.

In making this announcement, Mr. Grant noted the continued threat to the community that Urbina poses. Said Mr. Grant, “Fidel Urbina is wanted for his alleged role in two brutal attacks directed against innocent women. These crimes have demonstrated his violent nature and the need to locate and apprehend Urbina before he can strike again. We are hoping that the publicity associated with this case, along with the significant reward being offered, will lead to his arrest.”

FBI Video

Urbina, who is a Mexican national, is described as a Hispanic male, 37 years of age, 6’0” tall, having a medium build, and weighing approximately 170 pounds. He has black hair, brown eyes, and a severely pockmarked right cheek. He has been known to use numerous aliases, including the names Lorenzo Maes, Fernando Ramos, and Fidel Urbina Aquirre.

The search for Urbina is being coordinated by the Chicago FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force (VCTF), which is comprised of FBI special agents, detectives from the Chicago Police Department, and Cook County Sheriff’s Police investigators.

Urbina is the 497th person to be placed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, which was established in 1950. Urbina replaces Adam Christopher Mayes, who was wanted for the murder of a woman and her daughter and the kidnapping of her two small children from their home in Tennessee.

A reward of up to $100,000 is being offered for information leading to the location and arrest of Urbina. Anyone recognizing him or having any information as to his current whereabouts is asked to call the Chicago FBI at (312) 421-6700 or the nearest law enforcement agency.

Given the nature of the charges filed against him, Urbina should be considered armed and dangerous.

Additional information about this case and the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives program can be found online at www.fbi.gov.

The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt and that all defendants in a criminal case are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

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