A convicted child molester who disappeared ahead of his sentencing in El Dorado County has been captured in Arizona after nearly 10 months as a fugitive, authorities announced Friday.
The El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office and the FBI Sacramento Field Office said Carl W. Cacconie was located in Scottsdale, Arizona, following an extensive joint investigation. He was apprehended without incident at about 9 a.m. by the FBI Phoenix Desert Hawk Fugitive Task Force, which includes FBI special agents, Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office deputies and U.S. Border Patrol agents.
On July 17, 2025, an El Dorado County jury convicted Cacconie of six counts of committing lewd acts upon a child under the age of 14. His sentencing was scheduled for Aug. 25, 2025.
A request by an El Dorado County deputy district attorney to remand Cacconie into custody while he awaited sentencing was denied. Instead, authorities said, Cacconie remained out of custody on $1,000,000 bail after previously surrendering his passport and being fitted with a monitoring device.
On Aug. 17, 2025, the monitoring device stopped transmitting. Cacconie was last seen in San Francisco on Aug. 22, 2025.
On Aug. 25, 2025, the day of his sentencing, Cacconie’s family informed the court that they had reported him missing and that Cacconie left behind his phone, wallet and a suicide note.
On May 14, 2026, authorities said a federal arrest warrant was issued for Cacconie in the Eastern District of California for unlawful flight to avoid confinement to aid efforts to locate him.
Cacconie will make his first appearance in Scottsdale and will be extradited back to California, where authorities said he will face sentencing.
“We never stopped fighting for justice in this case. We are deeply grateful to our federal partners, whose collaboration was invaluable in locating and apprehending Cacconie. While nothing can erase the harm caused, we hope today’s outcome offers a measure of peace to Cacconie’s survivor and family, knowing that he will now finally be held accountable and sentenced for his crimes,” El Dorado County District Attorney Vern Pierson said.
“Carl Cacconie underestimated law enforcement and our commitment to ensuring justice for those impacted by his crimes,” FBI Sacramento Acting Special Agent in Charge Brian Tosh said. “Our task force officer with the El Dorado County District Attorney’s Office relentlessly pursued leads and worked closely with FBI Sacramento, FBI San Francisco, and FBI Phoenix field offices to ensure every possible tool, technique, and resource, was leveraged to locate and safely apprehend this convicted criminal.”
The district attorney’s office and the FBI Sacramento Field Office thanked the community for its support during the search and thanked Cacconie’s survivor and her family for their patience.
