A television episode that first aired nearly three decades ago has helped breathe new life into an Iowa vehicular homicide case. Des Moines Police say a rerun of an old America’s Most Wanted episode generated the tip that eventually led investigators to a suspect who had been out of their reach for nearly 29 years.
The case began on September 29, 1997, when 64-year-old Leslie Ruby was killed by a hit-and-run driver outside his home on the east side of Des Moines. Police recovered the vehicle involved and said evidence gathered by the department’s Traffic Unit identified then-28-year-old Gerardo Garcia-Michel as the driver.
Investigators didn’t get the opportunity to arrest him at the time, as police say Garcia-Michel fled Iowa before he could be taken into custody. Law enforcement efforts to locate him yielded no results, and investigators eventually exhausted the available leads.
The case nevertheless received national attention when America’s Most Wanted profiled Ruby’s death in 1998. Almost 29 years later, Des Moines Police say someone saw a rerun of that episode and provided detectives with the tip they had been missing.
What Happened
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The video paired with the post talks about how Leslie Ruby was loved by the community, with his granddaughter speaking on the memories she had of him. It was also explained that the incident occurred 29 years ago.
After mowing his daughter’s lawn, he drove his lawnmower back to his home, where he was then struck by Garcia-Michel, who apparently didn’t bother to stop and check on the 64-year-old. Unfortunately, Ruby’s wife was home and heard the crash, and was able to be at her husband’s side during his final moments.
Witnesses were unable to help law enforcement, as no one got a good look at the driver or could describe the car in much detail since it did not have license plates. However, this only led officers to check various dealerships in the area to see if they could find any more information, even going so far as to obtain a list of every similarly colored vehicle registered in Polk County at the time.
Eventually, a break came when an officer noticed a dark-colored sedan with extensive damage to its windshield and headlights. Upon investigation, officers learned that it belonged to Garcia-Michel, who had already fled the state.
A year later, America’s Most Wanted aired the story, but it didn’t produce the results necessary to really move forward. That is, until August 4, 2026.
One Tip Helped the Most
A Crime Stoppers tip to the Des Moines Police Department was provided by a man who was watching old episodes of America’s Most Wanted and identified his neighbor as Garcia-Michel. Using photos, officers were able to identify the suspect they had been looking for.
Interestingly enough, he was in New Jersey, on the other side of the country from California. After reaching out to the police in New Jersey, the pieces began to fall into place, and he was taken into custody by the United States Marshals.
Officers also learned that he was able to get away for as long as he did by making minor changes to his name and date of birth over the course of the 29 years.
Nearly 29 Years on the Run Ends in Custody
Des Moines Police announced on September 29 that Garcia-Michel was now in custody. The department described him as a vehicular homicide suspect and did not provide additional information in the post about his current location or the legal proceedings that will follow.
The timing also brings the case almost perfectly full circle, with the announcement coming on the anniversary of Ruby’s death. Ruby was killed outside his East Side home on September 29, 1997, exactly 29 years before the department announced that Garcia-Michel was in custody.
For investigators, the development came after years in which the available leads had been exhausted, and efforts to locate Garcia-Michel had gone nowhere. A case that began with a fatal hit-and-run in 1997 ultimately received the tip police needed when America’s Most Wanted put the story back in front of a television viewer nearly three decades later.