A 53-year-old former US police officer accused of child sexual assault and killing his wife fled to China under a false identity and taught English in Shanghai for 13 years. He was handed over to US authorities at Shanghai Pudong Airport on July 23, 2026, after years of legal coordination.
Tags:Source: OT-Team(G), United Daily News, WGHN, others
A 21-year-old international fugitive case has finally reached its end, revealing how a former U.S. police officer accused of child sexual assault and murdering his wife managed to disappear under a false identity and live in China for more than a decade before being brought back to the United States.
On July 23, 2026, at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Chinese police formally handed over Daniel William Hiers, a 53-year-old American national, to U.S. law enforcement officers. Wearing handcuffs, Hiers was escorted onto a flight back to the United States, marking the end of a lengthy cross-border legal process.
According to media reports, after fleeing the United States, Hiers entered China under a false identity and spent about 13 years working as an English teacher. During that time, he built a new life, became popular among students, and was seen by many as a friendly and charismatic foreign teacher. Few people around him knew that he was a wanted fugitive in the United States accused of serious crimes.
From Police Officer to International Fugitive
Born in 1972 in South Carolina, Hiers had served for 11 years as a police officer with the North Charleston Police Department before his disappearance.
During his law enforcement career, he worked as a patrol officer and also served as a school resource officer responsible for student safety. He received professional training in firearms, police tactics, and martial arts, and was also a black belt karate instructor.
After he fled, the U.S. Marshals Service listed him as “armed and dangerous,” noting that he had extensive weapons training and a high level of physical fitness. Authorities warned that he carried a .40-caliber Glock handgun and a bulletproof vest, and said he had previously claimed he would never go to prison and might attempt to resist arrest violently.
In 2004, Hiers met a single mother while working as a private karate instructor. Prosecutors later accused him of repeatedly sexually abusing the woman’s 10-year-old daughter over several months.
In November of that year, North Charleston police arrested Hiers and charged him with committing lewd acts against a minor under the age of 16. He was released on bail while awaiting further legal proceedings and was required to report to authorities on March 15, 2005.
But he never appeared.
A Missed Surrender, a Murder, and a Disappearance
On the day Hiers was supposed to surrender, his mother went to his home in Goose Creek, South Carolina, after he failed to show up.
Inside the house, she discovered his 24-year-old wife, Ludy Mila Hiers, dead on the bedroom bed.
Investigators determined that Mila had been shot in the back of the head at close range while she was sleeping.
Mila, originally from Brazil, had met Hiers as a teenager. Despite objections from her family, she married him when she was 17.
When allegations of child sexual abuse emerged in 2004, Mila chose to stay with her husband. After Hiers lost his police job, the couple faced financial difficulties, with Hiers working construction jobs and Mila working at a department store.
Shortly before the killing, the couple had taken a trip together. Mila’s mother later recalled that her daughter believed Hiers had changed and become more gentle.
However, investigators later found that additional charges involving the same child were pending at the time of Mila’s death.
After failing to surrender, Hiers disappeared. Police tracked his vehicle traveling south toward the U.S.-Mexico border. In June 2005, his abandoned car was found in Laredo, Texas, only a few miles from the border.
Authorities initially believed he had escaped into Latin America, where his knowledge of Spanish and Portuguese could have helped him avoid detection.
But he had taken another route.
A New Identity and a New Life in China
After leaving the United States, Hiers eventually entered China using forged documents, according to media reports.
He adopted the name “David Williams” and allegedly created a false background, including fabricated education records and proof of a clean criminal history.
According to media reports, in 2005, Hiers began working as an English teacher in Shanghai, where he reportedly remained for about 13 years.
During his years teaching in China, he presented himself as a confident and approachable foreign educator. Tall, well-dressed, and known for his humor, he quickly became popular among students, with some describing him as a “charming foreign teacher.”
He taught English and interacted frequently with students, appearing to have built a normal professional life.
A Former Student Uncovers the Truth
The breakthrough came in 2018.
A former student who had experienced unwanted attention from Hiers had moved to Southern California. While browsing the U.S. Marshals Service website, she came across a wanted fugitive notice and immediately recognized the person in the photo.
It was her former English teacher in China.
She contacted U.S. authorities and provided information about Hiers’ identity, his time teaching in China, and her personal experiences.
The information was later shared publicly and attracted widespread attention online.
After receiving the tip, Chinese authorities launched an investigation. In September 2018, Shanghai police located and detained Hiers.
However, his detention did not immediately result in his return to the United States.
Because China and the United States do not have a bilateral extradition treaty, the case required years of legal procedures, evidence verification, and coordination between authorities from both countries.
Eight Years After His Arrest, He Faces U.S. Justice
After nearly eight years of proceedings following his detention in China, Hiers was finally transferred to U.S. custody in July 2026.
The operation involved cooperation among multiple agencies, including China’s Ministry of Public Security, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, and the FBI.
U.S. Marshals Service Director Gadyaces S. Serralta said Hiers had held positions of public trust but had betrayed that trust “in the most serious way.”
For more than two decades, Hiers moved between different identities — first as a police officer, then as a foreign teacher, and finally as an international fugitive.
Now back in the United States, he is being held in custody and is expected to face legal proceedings over the charges against him.
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