DPS increases reward for tips on fugitive
The reward for information leading to the capture of a Texas 10 Most Wanted fugitive has been increased to $10,000.
Jose Fernando Bustos-Diaz, 28, is wanted for escape and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. He is considered armed and dangerous.
In 2006, Bustos-Diaz pleaded guilty to a 2005 murder he committed while working as a ranch hand in Harris County. He was sentenced to 35 years in a Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison.
On April 6, 2010, he escaped from the Briscoe Unit in Dilley, about 70 miles southwest of San Antonio. He is believed to have fled to Mexico.
Bustos-Diaz is 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs about 195 pounds. He has significant acne scarring on his face and birthmarks on his chest. He also has multiple tattoos, including a heart with a cross on the webbing of his left hand; the name “Vanessa” with one dot on the inside of his left wrist; and the name “Lizeth” on the inside of his right wrist.
To be eligible for the cash rewards, tipsters must provide information to authorities using one of these five methods:
Call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477).
Text the letters “DPS,” followed by the tip, to 274637 (CRIMES).
Submit a tip through the DPS website by clicking on the link under Bustos- Diaz’s picture.
Submit a tip at facebook.com/texas10mostwanted by clicking the “Submit a Tip” link, under the “About” section.
Submit a tip through the DPS mobile app.
Tipsters are given a number for identification to maintain their anonymity.
One offender from the Texas 10 Most Wanted program is featured each month in hopes the higher reward money from the governor’s Criminal Justice Division will generate additional tips. The higher reward amount will only be paid if the tip comes in the same month the fugitive is featured.
So far in 2017, Texas Crime Stoppers has paid $35,500 in rewards for anonymous tips that resulted in arrests.