ATTLEBORO — One of the most wanted fugitives in Massachusetts — sought in connection to an Attleboro murder 30 years ago — has been caught hiding out at a shrimp farm in Guatemala.

Massachusetts State Police say Mario Garcia is the main suspect in a 1991 fatal stabbing in Attleboro in which Ismael Recinos-Garcia died during a fight at Dean and Bank streets.

Police say Garcia, now 50, was found living under an alias and running a shrimp farm in Iztapa, Guatemala.

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According to police, Garcia tried to get away by jumping into a body of water at the shrimp farm, but was caught and arrested Wednesday morning.

He is suspected of stabbing Recino-Garcia during the fight in 1991, when the suspect was just 19 years old.

After investigators identified him as the suspected assailant and obtained a warrant for his arrest, he fled.

Multiple law enforcement agencies sought Garcia for more than 30 years.

Finally, in 2014, the state police Violent Fugitive Apprehension unit learned that Garcia had likely fled to his native Guatemala.

Following a multi-agency investigation, authorities found out in early 2022 that he might be working at the Iztapa shrimp farm.

A team of U.S. law enforcement officials coordinated by the U.S. Marshals Service and other agencies found and apprehended Garcia on Dec. 14.

He will be extradited to the U.S. to face prosecution on the murder charges in Bristol County.

"We don’t forget, we are persistent, and we never cease in our efforts to secure justice for victims," Massachusetts State Police Colonel Christopher Mason said.

"The fact that we were able to reach into Guatemala to hold accountable someone who committed a homicide in Massachusetts is a result of both tenacious police work and the value of our relationships with local, federal and international partners."

Attleboro Police Chief Kyle Heagney said the department is "glad that the victim, Ismael Recinos-Garcia, will finally have justice be brought forth for this senseless murder."

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and loved ones," he added, before thanking state police, U.S. Marshals, the State Department, and the Guatemalan Federal Police Force. "This was great police work and these partnerships are extremely valuable."

Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn said he is "very pleased" with the result.

"I want specifically to acknowledge the efforts of my Cold Case Unit, the Massachusetts State Police, the State Department and the US Marshals Service," he noted.

"This collaborative effort led to an important first step in attempting to finally bring justice to the family of the victim," Quinn added.

"We look forward to the extradition process and to the prosecution of this case in Bristol County."

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