The FBI's Denver field office announced on Tuesday, November 10, that it is offering a reward of $20,000 for information leading to the arrest of Jose Del Carmen Garcia Martinez, a 62-year-old man convicted in Arapahoe County, Colorado, of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl with disabilities. Garcia Martinez fled in the middle of his own trial in March and has been on the run ever since, and federal agents say the search now stretches across state lines — and to contacts in Canada.
Source: Wyoming Tribune Eagle
The bureau describes Garcia Martinez as 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighing about 170 pounds, with graying hair and brown eyes, and says his primary language is Spanish. Investigators believe he has sold the motorcycle he fled on and changed his appearance, which is why the FBI is asking the public to look closely and come forward with anything, however small. "No tip is too small to give to the FBI," said Bryan Huot, an assistant special agent in charge with the bureau.
How the case reached a federal manhunt
The case began on August 5, 2025, when deputies from the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office responded to a call at a home in the 5100 block of South Truckee Street in Centennial, Colorado. Garcia Martinez was arrested and booked into the Arapahoe County Jail. Prosecutors with the 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office charged him with two counts of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust, as a pattern of abuse, and one count of unlawful sexual contact involving an at-risk child. In keeping with the protection owed to a young victim, she is identified in this report only by her age and city.
Source: Wyo4News (FBI Denver announcement)
Garcia Martinez was released after posting a $50,000 bond. He appeared for the first day of his trial on March 24, 2026, and then stopped coming to court. Investigators say he disabled his ankle monitor and fled on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle carrying Colorado licence plate DEXD78. The trial continued without him, and the jury found him guilty on all counts. On March 27, the district attorney's office publicly asked for the community's help in finding him.
His trail was picked up outside Colorado. A licence plate reader confirmed his motorcycle had been in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and he was seen in Cedar City, Utah, on March 26. Once investigators confirmed he had crossed state lines while fleeing, the case was turned over to the FBI, and a federal judge granted the bureau a warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution earlier this year.
Ties in Colorado, Utah, Vancouver and Colombia
The FBI says Garcia Martinez is believed to have friends or family in Colorado and Utah, in Vancouver, Canada, and in Colombia. He holds dual citizenship in Colombia and Spain, though he surrendered his passports when he was arrested in August 2025. Huot said international law enforcement agencies know he is a wanted fugitive and that he cannot legally flee the country — one reason agents believe tips from ordinary people in the places he knows may be what finally locates him. For readers in Canada, the Vancouver connection is the detail to remember: a sighting there is exactly the kind of information the bureau is asking for.
"If you harm children, be prepared for the FBI to put a target on your back," said Amanda Koldjeski, the FBI Denver special agent in charge, in the bureau's announcement. "The FBI is bringing our resources to bear, and we want this convicted abuser of children to know that justice will find you." Arapahoe County Sheriff Thyler Brown added: "When someone preys upon children, the law must pursue them without hesitation. Protecting the innocent means seeking out those who cause harm, bringing them to justice, and ensuring no child is left defenseless."
Why the reward is being offered now
Garcia Martinez has now been missing for more than seven months, despite a conviction that is already on the record and a federal flight warrant. The reward announcement was made as part of Operation Cold Front, under which the FBI and its law-enforcement partners are executing federal warrants on violent criminals and fugitives and surging resources in states including Colorado and Wyoming. Putting a public price on information is the bureau's standard next step when a fugitive's known trail — in this case Wyoming and Utah in late March — has gone cold and he is believed to be relying on people he knows.
Colorado law treats sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust — a family member, caregiver or other trusted adult — as among the most serious offences, and a "pattern of abuse" allegation raises it further. Garcia Martinez's conviction stands even though he fled before the verdict; what cannot happen until he is back in custody is the completion of his case, including sentencing. Every day he remains free is a day that sentence cannot be imposed.
Anyone with information about where Garcia Martinez is can call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. The $20,000 reward is for information leading to his arrest. He is 62, 5'8", about 170 pounds, with graying hair and brown eyes, and speaks primarily Spanish — and investigators believe his appearance may have changed since March.
What happens next is a waiting game that the FBI is trying to shorten. Agents will work the tips the reward generates, continue checking the places and people connected to him in Colorado, Utah, Canada and Colombia, and keep the federal flight case open until he is arrested. Anyone who believes they saw him — even weeks or months ago, and even if they are not sure — is being asked to call it in and let investigators decide whether it matters.