TAYLOR COUNTY, Texas — The U.S. Marshal's Service has announced the arrest of a former Texas youth minister wanted for child sexual assault after he was added to the agency's Most Wanted List last month.
The manhunt for Jeffrey Winston Forrest, 47, ended Friday after authorities arrested him in Mexico. Forrest was wanted by the Taylor County Sheriff's Office on two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child, bail jumping and failure to appear.
According to the USMS, Forrest was arrested by members of the State Attorney’s Office, Zapopan Police Department, and the National Institute of Immigration (INM). He was located in a drive-thru store in Zapopan, Jalisco, after his presence and identity were confirmed with the existing alert in the U.S.
Forrest was deported and brought back to the Northern District of Texas, where he will face the charges against him.
The USMS says Forrest’s capture in Mexico is a direct result of information that was developed from a tip that was provided to “In Pursuit with John Walsh” on Investigation Discovery after the show profiled the case.
In 2015, charges were filed against Forrest when four victims came forward and accused him of sexually assaulting them. The victims stated Forrest repeatedly assaulted them from the ages of 8 to 15. Investigators believe he used his position as a youth minister at several different churches to gain access and groom his victims. On April 2, 2015, Forrest was arrested on two counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child. Following his arrest, Forrest was released on bond and a trial date was set for August 29, 2016. Unfortunately, he failed to appear for his trial, and after an investigation into his disappearance, authorities determined he never intended to.
While investigators found credible evidence of his travel to Mexico, his trail had grown cold due to his use and knowledge of the dark web and communication software to mask his digital footprint.