U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has issued an arrest detainer for Zaid Mayen-Esteban and Jonathan David Garcia-Larios, both Mexican nationals, following their arrest in Pitt County, North Carolina. The two men are facing charges including assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill or inflict serious injury, burglary, kidnapping, and sodomy related to a violent home invasion that occurred on February 11.
Local reports indicate that the suspects entered the victim's residence armed with a sharp weapon, restrained the individual against his will, committed sexual assault, and forcibly removed his fingernails. The victim was taken to Eastern Carolina University Medical Center for treatment and survived the attack. Law enforcement officials from the U.S. Marshals Service and local agencies apprehended Mayen-Esteban and Garcia-Larios on February 13.
Authorities state that both individuals entered the United States illegally at undetermined times. Garcia-Larios had previously been deported in 2024 but re-entered the country without authorization before allegedly committing these offenses.
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin commented on the case: “This is a real-life nightmare.Burglarizing, kidnapping, assaulting, sodomizing, and ripping off the fingernails of an innocent victim areextremely wicked and heinous,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “Zaid Mayen-Esteban and Jonathan David Garcia-Larios should have never been in this country. Prior to this heinous act, these illegal aliens had no criminal record in the U.S. Under Secretary Noem’s leadership we are not waiting for illegal aliens to commit crimes before we target them for arrest and removal. We pray for the continued recovery of this innocent victim.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) emphasized its ongoing efforts to prevent similar incidents by enforcing immigration laws across communities nationwide. Victims impacted by crimes involving individuals without legal status can seek assistance through DHS’s Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) Office by calling 1-855-488-6423.
