The United States Marshals Service announced on Thursday, July 23, that a former police officer wanted for sexual assault and murder has been extradited back to the United States from China after 21 years on the run.
In March 15, 2005, Ludmila Hiers was found dead in her home. Authorities accused her husband, former Charleston police officer Dan Hiers Jr., of shooting her in the head while she was asleep. An arrest warrant was issued, but he could not be located.
Hiers was suspended from the Charleston Police Department in 2004 after being accused of engaging in sexual activity with a minor. In November of the same year, he was arrested by the North Charleston Police Department for committing lewd acts with a child under 16, then released on bail with a requirement to surrender himself to the sheriff’s office on March 15, 2005.
However, he did not show up on that day.
According to the statement from the United States Marshals Service, Hiers faces charges of sexual assault and murder, as well as an additional charge for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. He was listed as one of the “15 Most Wanted” by the U.S. Marshals, and his case was featured on the television shows “America’s Most Wanted” and “The Hunt with John Walsh”.
For over a decade, this case remained unresolved.
It wasn’t until 2018 when new leads emerged. Shanghai police discovered Hiers living under the alias David Williams and subsequently arrested him. A viewer of WCSC, a CBS-affiliated television station, recognized Hiers and informed the station that he was working as an English teacher in Shanghai.
After nearly 21 years, the United States Marshals Service was able to arrest Hiers and bring him back to face justice. The extradition was carried out following a “lengthy investigation”, as stated by the Marshals.
The U.S. Marshals Service confirmed that Hiers has been extradited and returned to South Carolina. A photo released by the agency shows a man with a blurred face being surrounded by law enforcement officers and officials on the tarmac and boarding bridge of an aircraft.