Mauro Ociel Valenzuela-Reyes Facts: $10,000 Reward For ValuJet Flight Crash Suspect Information

The Miami Field Office of FBI announced a reward of $10,000 on Thursday after more than 20 years of failing to catch Mauro Ociel Valenzuela-Reyes, the man wanted on charges of causing the crash of ValuJet flight 592 in 1996, killing 10 people.

“He fled before trial,” FBI Miami Special Agent Jacqueline Fruge said in a written statement from the bureau, Fox News reported. “We’ve tried over the years to find him. It bothers me. I’ve lived and breathed it for many, many years. We want closure.”

Fruge had been the lead investigator in the case and unsuccessfully worked with the victims’ families to catch Valenzuela-Reyes.

The reward is being offered by the department for “a tip to bring him to justice.” Along with the offer, the FBI also released sketches of an aged version of the suspected perpetrator in public, as the only available picture of Valenzuela-Reyes was from 1996.

Here are a few facts about Valenzuela-Reyes and the crime he is suspected of committing:

1) Valenzuela-Reyes, 48, a maintenance contractor who used to work for the now defunct SabreTech, was charged with placing packaged oxygen generators in the plane’s cargo area without putting safety caps on them.

2) As a result of his alleged action, ValuJet flight 592, which took off from Miami International Airport and was headed to Atlanta, Georgia, May 11, 1996, caught fire 10 minutes into its departure. As the plane attempted to turn around and head back to the airport, it crashed into the everglades, killing everyone onboard.

3) ) The plane “slammed nose-first into the muck and disappeared under the earth,” according to 1996 Miami Herald archive story. Determining the cause of the crash “proved challenging” because the remains of the plane were difficult to analyze.

4) A federal judge found SabreTech guilty of failing to train its employees and allowing hazardous materials to be transported into the plane. Investigation proved 144 outdated oxygen generator canisters were placed in flight 592 from another plane. Furthermore, the canisters were listed as “empty” even though they were filled, Patch reported.

5) Two other employees of the company were arrested on charges of conspiracy and lying on repair records, but were later acquitted.

6) Valenzuela-Reyes might be using a fake name and identity while on the run. According to the investigators, he has family in Santiago, Chile, where his ex-wife and children live. It is not clear whether he had any contact with them in the past decade.

7) As he never faced the charges, if caught, Valenzuela-Reyes will also face additional federal charges for fleeing and failing to appear at his trial.

If you have any tips regarding the whereabouts of Valenzuela-Reyes, you can get in contact with the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324).