Illegal who fled U.S. after fatal crash is extradited back
Woman who fled U.S. after fatal Henrico crash is extradited back from Spain
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Osmaira E. Mendez-Urdaneta (left) was charged with manslaughter in the traffic death of Beverly Page Bourgeois
A Salvadoran woman who fled the country last year after facing a manslaughter charge in a crash that killed a Henrico County woman in 2018 was extradited back to the United States on Thursday to stand trial.
Osmaira E. Mendez-Urdaneta, 49, was taken into custody by Henrico police crash team investigators at Dulles International Airport and served with outstanding warrants charging her with involuntary manslaughter and failure to appear in court, a Henrico police spokesman said.
Mendez-Urdaneta, who immigration authorities said was living in the U.S. illegally, fled the country sometime last year as she was facing a manslaughter charge for an Aug. 16, 2018, crash in which her vehicle veered off the road and struck Beverly Paige Bourgeois, who was doing yard work along North Parham Road near Tucker High School.
Bourgeois died of her injuries two weeks later.
The day after the crash, police charged Mendez-Urdaneta was reckless driving and driving without a license, and she failed to appear on those charges at an Oct. 25, 2018, hearing in Henrico General District Court. Special prosecutor Rob Cerullo then obtained a warrant against Mendez-Urdaneta on the more serious charge of involuntary manslaughter.
After Mendez-Urdaneta fled the country, Cerullo contacted the international police organization known as Interpol in March and filed a Red Notice, which is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition.
Interpol called Cerullo on Oct. 20 to advise that Mendez-Urdaneta was on a flight bound for Madrid. Cerullo told Interpol that he remained interested in prosecuting Mendez-Urdaneta, and officers took her into custody after she arrived.
Bourgeois had been trimming bushes at a home she rented out along North Parham Road, preparing it for new tenants to move in, when the crash occurred.
Police said Mendez-Urdaneta’s vehicle swerved off the road and traveled over a long stretch of grass before striking Bourgeois. Following the incident, Bourgeois’ husband said Mendez-Urdaneta told him that she had fallen asleep while driving, Cerullo said.
Mendez-Urdaneta was to be arraigned on her charges Friday in Henrico. She could face one to 10 years in prison if convicted.
https://www.richmond.com/news/local/central-virginia/woman-who-fled-u-s-after-fatal-henrico-crash-is/article_4bba3cae-012d-57f3-9a8b-fda4717fb85d.html
