America’s Most Wanted Rerun Leads to Arrest Nearly 29 Years After Deadly Hit-and-Run

Nearly three decades after a 64-year-old Iowa man was killed in a hit-and-run, investigators say a rerun of “America’s Most Wanted” helped generate the tip that finally led to an arrest.

Leslie Ruby was struck and killed outside his home in Des Moines, Iowa, on Sept. 29, 1997. For years, the case remained unresolved after the man police identified as the suspected driver disappeared from the state.

Now, nearly 29 years later, police say that suspect is in custody.

A Case That Went Cold

Ruby was 64 when he was fatally struck outside his home on Des Moines’ east side.

According to police, investigators recovered the vehicle involved in the crash and found evidence that pointed to Gerardo Garcia-Michel, who was 28 years old at the time, as the suspected driver.

But before authorities could arrest him, Garcia-Michel reportedly fled Iowa.

Investigators spent years trying to locate him, but eventually exhausted their available leads and the case went cold.

“America’s Most Wanted” Put the Case Back in the Spotlight

The case was featured on “America’s Most Wanted” in 1998 as authorities sought information that could help locate Garcia-Michel.

But the television appearance did not immediately lead to his capture.

Nearly three decades later, however, a rerun of that same episode produced a new tip.

According to the Des Moines Police Department, the tip eventually gave detectives the information they needed to locate Garcia-Michel, who was living nearly halfway across the country.

Arrest Comes on the 29th Anniversary

Police announced that Garcia-Michel was in custody on Sept. 29, 2026, exactly 29 years after Ruby’s death.

The department described the development as the culmination of a nearly three-decade effort to locate the suspected driver.

“After nearly 29 years on the run, a vehicular homicide suspect is in custody,” police said in announcing the arrest.

Authorities have not publicly disclosed all details surrounding the arrest, including exactly where Garcia-Michel was located.

It also was not immediately clear whether he had entered a plea or obtained an attorney.

A Family Left Waiting for Answers

For Ruby’s loved ones, the arrest represents a major development in a case that had remained unresolved for years.

Local reporting described Ruby as a Korean War veteran and a retiree remembered by people who knew him as a caring and well-liked man.

The circumstances surrounding his death had remained part of an unfinished investigation until the new tip revived the case.

Now, after nearly 29 years, investigators have finally located the man they had identified as the suspected driver.

The case serves as a reminder that even decades-old investigations can sometimes move forward when an overlooked lead reaches investigators at the right moment.

And in this case, that lead reportedly came from an unexpected source: a television rerun watched nearly 30 years after the original broadcast.

SOURCES

1. PEOPLE
   “Man Was Killed in 1997 Hit-and-Run. An ‘America’s Most Wanted’ Rerun Just Led to an Arrest”
2. KCCI
   Coverage of the 1997 Des Moines hit-and-run and the arrest nearly 29 years later.
3. Des Moines Register
   Additional details about Leslie Ruby and the investigation.