Aguascalientes Opina – January 7, 2025

After 25 Years on the Run, the Killers of Dhylan Randall Are Captured

by Aníbal Salazar

Aguascalientes, Mexico. An anonymous phone call, a coordinated operation, and the weight of truth that always catches up to those who try to escape it. The capture of those responsible for the brutal murder of Dhylan Randall, a child just 4 years old, marks the closing of a case that remained an open wound in Aguascalientes’ memory for 25 years. Justice has finally caught up with the boy’s mother and stepfather, who attempted to rebuild their lives far from the place where they sowed horror.

The Crime That Shocked Aguascalientes

On November 12, 1999, the body of a child was found inside a dumpster on 28 de Agosto Street in the Barrio de La Estación. The victim lay in a “Huevo San Juan” cardboard box, wrapped in a blanket and a tablecloth. His small body showed evident signs of violence.

After arduous investigations conducted by the State Judicial Police, the boy was identified in 2001 as Dhylan Randall, who had been killed the day before, on November 11, 1999, in a residence in Teocaltiche, Jalisco. Testimonies and evidence pointed to the boy’s stepfather as the perpetrator of the crime, committed during a domestic dispute. He later transported the body on an intercity bus to Aguascalientes, where he abandoned it in a dumpster.

The boy’s mother was also implicated as an accomplice for covering up the crime and aiding in their escape.

A Long Escape and a Key Tip

The couple disappeared after the crime and managed to evade justice for 25 years. However, last week, an anonymous call from a relative of the stepfather was key to locating the couple in the city of Chetumal, Quintana Roo, where they had lived for 20 years and worked as photographers.

With the collaboration of the Quintana Roo State Attorney General’s Office, their identities were confirmed. On Saturday, January 4, 2025, agents from the Quintana Roo Investigative Police intercepted the suspects on López Mateos Avenue in the Nuevo Progreso neighborhood.

Transfer and Criminal Proceedings

Following the capture, agents from the Homicide Unit in Aguascalientes traveled to Quintana Roo to execute the arrest warrant for qualified intentional homicide, with the aggravating factors of advantage and brutal ferocity. On Sunday night, the detainees were transferred to the “Jesús Terán Peredo” airport and finally entered the State Penitentiary Center of Aguascalientes early Monday morning.

Now, the perpetrators will face a criminal trial under the traditional justice system, within preliminary investigation A-99/08963. In the coming hours, the Fifth Criminal Court will determine whether formal imprisonment is ordered, initiating a trial that serves as a reminder that justice may take time, but it never forgets.

This case, which shocked an entire community more than two decades ago, finally seems to be heading toward closure with an act of justice for Dhylan Randall.