The FBI Sacramento Field Office said Jose Guadalupe Lopez Nunez, a fugitive wanted in connection with a Sacramento County homicide case, has been extradited from Mexico to California and appeared in Sacramento Superior Court on July 7, 2026.
According to the FBI, Lopez Nunez was apprehended near Mezquital del Oro, Zacatecas, Mexico, on August 31, 2025, after a tip from the public. He was extradited to Sacramento on July 2, 2026.
FBI Says Public Tip Helped Locate Fugitive
The FBI said the case involved cooperation between U.S. and international law enforcement partners.
Brian Tosh, acting special agent in charge of the FBI Sacramento Field Office, said the arrest may bring some relief to the family of Emelina Quintero-Ramos after years of waiting for prosecution. He also credited public tips as an important part of locating fugitives and helping solve crimes.
Background: Body Found in Sacramento River
According to the FBI, an angler found the body of a woman in the Sacramento River near Isleton on September 4, 2017. She was later identified as Emelina Quintero-Ramos.
After an investigation by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, authorities issued a felony arrest warrant for Lopez Nunez on October 16, 2017.
The FBI said the warrant alleged that Lopez Nunez killed Quintero-Ramos, who was his girlfriend, and placed her body in the Sacramento River to hide the crime. A federal arrest warrant was later issued on October 24, 2017, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
International Search and Extradition
The FBI said it issued a wanted poster and began an international effort to locate Lopez Nunez after the federal warrant was issued.
The FBI Sacramento Field Office worked with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI Legal Attache Office in Mexico City, and INTERPOL’s National Central Bureau in Mexico to secure his return.
The FBI said Lopez Nunez’s return was funded through the U.S. government’s Project Welcome Home, which helps bring state and local fugitives back to the United States.
Charges Remain Allegations
The FBI noted that criminal charges are allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
What Is Not Stated in the Source
The source does not state whether Lopez Nunez entered a plea during his first court appearance.
It also does not state his next court date, whether he has legal representation, or the specific charges currently listed in Sacramento Superior Court.
Why It Matters
The case is significant because it involves a nearly nine-year-old homicide investigation, an international fugitive search, and cooperation between law enforcement agencies in the United States and Mexico.
It also highlights the FBI’s request for public assistance in fugitive cases. The bureau said tips from the public continue to help locate wanted individuals, recover missing children, and support criminal investigations.
This case comes as authorities in other U.S. cities are also asking the public for help in active investigations, including a recent Houston case involving human skeletal remains found in a vacant field.
Conclusion
Jose Guadalupe Lopez Nunez is now back in Sacramento County after being captured in Mexico and extradited by FBI agents. The case will proceed through the court system, where the allegations connected to the death of Emelina Quintero-Ramos remain subject to legal proof.
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