A convicted child sex offender who disappeared during his Colorado trial, ditched his ankle monitor and fled on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle was later spotted in Wyoming, and the FBI is now offering $20,000 to anyone who can help catch him.
Jose Del Carmen Garcia Martinez, 62, has been on the run since March, when he showed up for the first day of his jury trial in Arapahoe County, Colorado, then vanished before the jury could decide his fate.
The trial went on without him.
Jurors found him guilty of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl with disabilities, leaving authorities with a conviction but also an empty defendant's chair.
Nearly eight months later, federal agents are still looking for him.
The FBI's Denver office announced the reward Tuesday, saying Garcia Martinez was spotted in Wyoming and Utah after fleeing Colorado. Investigators believe he might have escaped to Colombia, where he was born and is a citizen.
Garcia Martinez was free on a $50,000 bond when his trial began March 24.
The FBI says he disabled his court-ordered ankle monitor and fled on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle bearing Colorado license plate DEXD78.
A federal arrest warrant was issued in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado on March 30, charging Garcia Martinez with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, bringing the FBI into the manhunt.
$20,000 For Information
The FBI describes Garcia Martinez as 5-foot-8 and weighing approximately 170 pounds, with brown eyes and dark hair that is turning gray.
He was born Feb. 6, 1964, in Colombia.
The wanted notice lists several variations of his name, including Jose Delcarme Garcia-Martinez, Jose Delcarmen Garcia-Martinez, Jose Del Carmen Garcia and Jose Del Carmen Martine Garcia.
The FBI warns that he should be considered an escape risk.
His federal warrant remains active, and the bureau is offering up to $20,000 for information leading to his arrest.
Anyone who recognizes Garcia Martinez or has information about his whereabouts can contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov.
Facing Life
The case began Aug. 5, 2025, when Arapahoe County sheriff's deputies responded to a report of sexual assault at a home in Centennial, a Denver suburb.
The victim was a 15-year-old girl with disabilities.
Her mother called 911 after the girl's grandmother walked into a bedroom and witnessed Garcia Martinez sexually touching the teenager, multiple Colorado news outlets reported, citing prosecutors.
Investigators also learned the girl had reported a similar incident to her mother about two years earlier, but it had never been relayed to police.
Garcia Martinez was arrested that day and booked into the Arapahoe County Jail.
Prosecutors charged him with two counts of sexual assault on a child by a person in a position of trust, involving a pattern of abuse, and one count of unlawful sexual contact with an at-risk child.
All three are Class 3 felonies. Garcia could face life in prison.
He was released on a $50,000 bond and appeared for the beginning of his trial March 24, 2026.
Then he disappeared.
Cowboy State Daily reached out to the district attorney's office with questions about Garcia Martinez's bond, whether prosecutors had raised concerns about him being a flight risk, and what happened in the courtroom when he disappeared during trial.
The office had not responded by publication time.
Where Did He Go?
“The defendant’s decision to flee during trial only underscores his disregard for the law and for the victim he harmed,” Deputy District Attorney Tory Reavis said in a statement released in March.
The FBI's wanted poster includes three photographs: Two showing Garcia Martinez's face and another showing a motorcyclist with a backpack and gear strapped to the motorcycle.
Investigators say Garcia Martinez was subsequently seen in Wyoming and Utah but did not say when.
The bureau's announcement does not identify a Wyoming town, highway, business or date associated with those sightings.
The FBI identifies possible family or personal connections in Colorado, Utah, Vancouver, Canada, and Colombia. Wyoming is not among the places listed.
Garcia Martinez is a dual citizen of Colombia and Spain and primarily speaks Spanish.
Federal authorities have not publicly confirmed whether he left the United States.
Still On The Run
Garcia Martinez isn't the only convicted Colorado sex offender whose trail has led into the Cowboy State.
Just last month, federal marshals tracked down Timothy Dan Thurston, a convicted child sex offender who had been wanted in Colorado since 2024, in the Carbon County town of Baggs.
On Oct. 7, the U.S. Marshals Service, Wyoming Highway Patrol and Carbon County Sheriff's Office worked together to capture Thurston, ending a search that had stretched two years.
“Wyoming will not become a safe haven for fugitives seeking to escape accountability in other states,” said Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas, of the District of Wyoming, in an Oct. 13 statement.
“This arrest sends a clear message: Crossing state lines does not place anyone beyond the reach of justice," he added.
The arrest came amid a nationwide crackdown on fugitive sex offenders.
In October, federal marshals launched Operation Trick or Treat 4, arresting 197 people nationwide. That included 171 sex offenders — 114 for failing to register and 57 for other offenses — as well as 26 people arrested for other criminal activity.
In 2025, the U.S. Marshals Service arrested 73,323 fugitives nationwide, including 10,371 sex offenders.
Unlike Thurston, Garcia Martinez's whereabouts remain a mystery.
For the teenage girl he was convicted of abusing, the trial is over and the jury has spoken.
The man found guilty of those crimes is still on the run, facing the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison if he's caught.
Kolby Fedore can be reached at kolby@cowboystatedaily.com.
