Eastside Defender

The Minneapolis Police Department Child Abuse Unit is partnering with the popular FOX-TV program, America’s Most Wanted’s website to track down a fugitive wanted for multiple sexual assaults on a small girl.

Between 1997 and 2000 Jose Franciso Gomez (Date of birth 11-24-1974) sexually assaulted his stepdaughter who was born in 1990. In 2006 these allegations came to light and Gomez was charged with Sexual Assault in the First Degree. Gomez could not be located and has never been apprehended.

America’ Most Wanted’s homepage http://www.amw.com/ America's Most Wanted with John Walsh is featuring Gomez today in an effort to bring him to justice. Producers at the show also indicated that they were pursuing using his profile in an upcoming episode of the show that has resulted in the capture of 1140 fugitives since its inception.

Gomez, who frequently acted as a lay minister at his church and may be doing so now, originally fled to Texas. From Texas the trail grew cold though it is believed Gomez may have travelled or settled in California, Florida or Mexico. Gomez, who often goes by the nicknames Frank, Joe, Chico or Gordo, has worked as a trucker and school bus driver and in restaurants.

Gomez has family in Puerto Rico and in the past has travelled regularly to the Dominican Republic. His M.O. is to join a church and seek out single Latino mothers with small children while portraying himself as very religious. He dates the mother and then takes control of the family and uses his religious “teachings” to convince the mother and children to submit to his will. His ultimate goal is to use this control to elicit sex from the children.

Gomez is a Hispanic male; 36 years old, 5’11” tall and in 2006 he weighed over 300 pounds. He speaks Spanish accented English and he can speak Spanish in either a San Salvadoran or Mexico City dialect. He has a pair of moles on his left chin and one on his right cheek. He is also described having dimples on his cheeks, a large burn scar on the inside of his right forearm and needing either glasses or contacts to see. His last photograph shows him with a thin moustache.

Anyone with information about Gomez is asked to call America’s Most Wanted at 1-800-CRIME-TV or go to their website to leave a tip.