Texas manhunt ends after suspect accused of killing 5 neighbors is found hiding

Francisco Oropesa has been on the run since he allegedly killed five people in Cleveland, Texas, on Friday. He was found Tuesday hiding under laundry in a closet, officials said.

The man accused of killing five of his neighbors with an AR-15 rifle in their Texas home was arrested Tuesday, after a tip led authorities to a house less than 20 miles from where the crimes took place.

The arrest of Francisco Oropesa, 38, in the city of Cut and Shoot, Texas, marked the end of a massive manhunt that was in its fourth day Tuesday.

A tip called into an FBI line at 5:15 p.m. led to Oropesa’s arrest at 6:30 p.m., Jimmy Paul, the assistant special agent in charge of the FBI’s Houston field office.

Oropesa will be charged with five counts of murder and is being held on $5 million bond, San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said.

“He was caught hiding in a closet underneath some laundry,” he said Tuesday.

Details about the home where Oropesa was found weren’t disclosed. Officials said the case was still under investigation.

Cut and Shoot, where Oropesa was arrested Tuesday, is a community of around 1,000 just east of Conroe and around 16 miles west of the Cleveland area where the killings took place.

It’s not immediately clear how Oropesa eluded police for days.

Searchers found his cellphone and some of his clothing Saturday, but scent-tracking dogs eventually lost his trail.

Oropesa’s wife filed a protective order against him last year alleging he beat her, San Jacinto County District Attorney Todd Dillon said. She said he was drunk and hit her with a closed fist, kicked her on the floor and threatened her, Dillon said.

His wife told authorities last year that Oropesa was staying with a sister in Conroe, Dillon said earlier. Conroe is around 6 miles from Cut and Shoot; there was no information that there was any connection to Tuesday’s arrest.

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