WICHITA,
Kansas (KSN) – A fugitive from the law who allegedly lived in
Kansas under a fake name has now been formally charged in a 2003 death that authorities originally classified as an accidental drowning.
Daniel Perez, 52, is now being held on a $2.1 million dollar bond after he was charged with nearly forty offenses including the murder of Patricia Hughes as well as multiple sex charges.
Investigators say Perez is connected in some way to at least ten deaths and lived off of large insurance payouts along with other associates.
The group was living in Valley Center in 2003 at a compound of at least three homes on North Oliver Road. At the time, Patricia Hughes and her husband Daniel were among the residents at the compound.
Prosecutors had thought Hughes died trying to rescue her 2-year-old daughter from drowning in a pool but investigations spawned from a custody battle over that girl led detectives to look closer at Perez.
Daniel Hughes died in a car accident outside of Kansas in 2006. By order of his will, custody of his daughter was given to Patricia Huston.
Huston died in 2008 in a crash in Butler County.
Wichita attorney Martin Bauer was hired by Patricia Hughes parents after Brian died.
When Huston was killed, Bauer says Perez and his associates planned to take custody of the girl while giving her nothing from her inheritance.
“That’s where we objected,” said Bauer.
Bauer says police began to intensify their investigation of the insurance claims and Perez’ involvement. At the time, Bauer knew Perez as Lou Castro.
Police told him Castro and Perez were the same man and he was wanted in Texas.
“It was during that time that we discovered that Daniel Perez had been convicted of indecent liberties with a minor or the equivalent in Texas and had somehow convinced the authorities that he was dead,” said Bauer.
The girl’s grandparents were given custody in 2010. She’s now 11-years-old and lives out of state.
