In Pursuit With John Walsh: What evidence did investigators find against fugitive Erick Rangel-Ibarra?

Las Vegas fugitive Erick Rangel-Ibarra has been on the run since he murdered 22-year-old Lesly Palacio in 2020 in his house and dumped her body with the help of his father. His case will be the subject of In Pursuit With John Walsh, with victims' rights activist John Walsh and his son, Callahan, showcasing the unsolved cases to help bring the perpetrator to justice.

The episode titled Evil Deception will air a segment based on the alleged murderer and fugitive Erick Rangel-Ibarra on ID this Wednesday, September 21, 2022, at 9:00 pm ET.

The official synopsis reads:

"When a young girl goes missing after a night out in Vegas, police suspect her friend Erick Rangel-Ibarra; Cal goes after Jerold Dunning, accused of sexually abusing his girlfriend's daughter for years."

The case picked up speed when incriminating evidence in the form of photographs and video footage from August 2020 was revealed by investigators, which showed 25-year-old Erick and his father Jose Rangel, 46, moving Palacio's body.

Rangel was later found guilty based on crime scene photographs and surveillance footage as evidence. He was sentenced to two years in prison.

Read further to learn more about the incriminating evidence found.

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Surveillance footage showed Erick Rangel-Ibarra "dragging" a body out of his house

Sources state that Lesly Palacio was last seen on August 29, 2020, and her body was discovered close to the Valley of Fire two weeks later. The video footage acquired showed Erick Rangel-Ibarra returning home with Palacio in the early hours of August 29. The suspect was identified in one of the videos that showed him with Palacio.

A detective involved in the case reportedly told the jury:

"A male with clothing consistent to what he was wearing in the surveillance video is assisting what appears to be an intoxicated female wearing clothing consistent with Lesly’s clothing in the video into his residence."

Another video, from an hour later, showed Erick "dragging" a woman's body from his Tipper Avenue home with the assistance of another man, his father Jose. The two men, as per the surveillance footage, loaded the body in question in a truck. The same truck was seen leaving shortly after, with Rangel hosing off the sidewalk.

Addressing the jury, the detective further added:

"The male with the clothing consistent to Erick’s is out the passenger door, front passenger door of his truck, and it appeared to me to be dragging a body out. Yes, that second male in white was assisting the other male drag the body out and place it in the front passenger compartment."

Rangel-Ibarra allegedly murdered Palacio before fleeing the country with his father. Jose Rangel was apprehended close to the Mexican border in 2021.

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What was seen in the photographs from Erick Rangel-Ibarra's home?

Photos from inside Erick Rangel-Ibarra's home, which was declared a crime scene, reportedly showed a bare bed and blood stains. Investigators also revealed images of gloves and cleaning products, indicating that someone may have tried to clean the crime scene, found inside the house.

Documents state that Rangel originally admitted to authorities that he believed Palacio overdosed, but later changed his story and revealed that he saw her dead body as Erick hauled it down the stairs inside their house using a bed sheet.

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Erick Rangel-Ibarra remains a fugitive in the alleged 2020 homicide case of Lesly Palacio.