NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A victim of a sexual assault by a family member thanked authorities for finally getting her some closure after arresting her alleged assailant more than 30 years later.
U.S. Marshals on Thursday announced the arrest of Hermes Rivera, 67, who was wanted in a 33-year-old Connecticut sexual assault case.
Rivera, who was arrested in Puerto Rico on Wednesday, is the suspect in the sexual assault of a 9-year-old family member in the summer of 1988.
According to a release, the victim’s mother learned of the abuse and she contacted local authorities in Connecticut to report the assault.
Rivera fled the state shortly after the crime, triggering a decades-long manhunt.
In October 2020, the Connecticut State Police enlisted the help of the U.S. Marshalls to help locate and apprehend Rivera.
He was tracked down to a remote area of Aguada in Puerto Rico.
Officials say Rivera was living under his brother’s identity for some time in the Caribbean island.
Rivera was arrested Wednesday and charged with sexual assault in the 2nd degree and risk of injury of a minor. He will remain in Puerto Rico pending extradition to Connecticut.
The victim said in a statement that they finally have closure after so long.
“I was hoping to someday have closure to this horrific chapter in my life, and I was hoping he would not die before being arrested,” the victim said.
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