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HOUSTON - Carlos Jose Ayala Morales has been put on the Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives List after the Houston Police Department identified him as the man suspected of groping a young girl walking home from school on Jan. 27.
The 43-year-old is wanted out of Harris County for attempted indecency with a child by sexual contact.
Carlos Morales criminal history
The backstory:
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), in 2000 Morales was convicted of burglarizing a building and sentenced to six months of confinement.
In 2018, Morales was convicted for evading arrest and three counts of indecency with a child by sexual contact for incidents involving two 14-year-old girls and one 12-year-old, along with indecency with a child by exposure after an incident with an 8-year-old girl.
Carlos Jose Ayala Morales (Courtesy of Houston Police Department/Facebook)
Texas DPS says Morales was sentenced to seven years for each offense to be served concurrently. He was discharged in 2024 from a Texas Department of Criminal Justice facility.
According to Harris County court records, Morales was charged in 2017 with four counts of indecency with a child, two indecency child-TG and two indecency child exposure, and evading arrest.
Houston police believed Morales, who they called Ayala, to be linked to "at least 10 sexual assault incidents in the northeast Houston and Harris County areas," said a HPD press release from that time.
SUGGESTED: Houston 7-year-old victim speaks out; convicted predator previously on ICE hold now on the run
It stated police were investigating a string of, "sexual assaults of school-aged juvenile females, seven to 15 years of age, as they traveled to and from school," and "Ayala would come up behind the victims and inappropriately touch them through their clothing."
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Family targeted in groping incident speaks with FOX 26
A 7-year-old girl is bravely sharing her story after police identified the wanted suspect accused of groping her while she was walking home from school in Woodland Heights, just north of downtown Houston.
The release says, "In one incident, Ayala attempted to abduct one of the victims, a 7-year-old female, as she walked home from school with her 9-year-old brother."
Morales was released to ICE on Feb. 22, 2024, around five years and three months later.
Harris County records show that when Morales was arrested in 2017, an immigration detainer was lodged on him. The detainer was lifted when he was convicted. Records show he is a Honduran national.
Morales accused of groping 7-year-old in northeast Houston
What we know:
The 43-year-old allegedly inappropriately grabbing and touching a 7-year-old girl in the 800 block of Omar Street after 3 p.m. while the child was walking home from Travis Elementary school.
Surveillance video from a neighbor's doorbell camera shows the 7-year-old walking behind the other two girls and a man following them.
INITIAL REPORT: Houston mother says 7-year-old daughter was groped while walking home from school; video of alleged predator
The girl and her mom say she was walking behind her older sister and a friend. They say the man ran up, groped her and ran away. The girl didn't scream due to being in shock and told her older sister when they got home.
"A man came behind me, and he touched my private parts," said the girl in an exclusive interview.
"I hope he's caught and put away much longer, so he can't hurt other children," said her mom.
Carlos Morales on Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitives List
Texas DPS described Morales as being 5 feet and 8 inches tall, and weighing about 130 pounds. He has tattoos on his abdomen, back, right hand, and both his arms.
What you can do:
Anyone with information on Morales' whereabouts should contact DPS or Houston Crime Stoppers.
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To be eligible for cash rewards, tipsters MUST provide information to authorities using one of the following three methods:
- Call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477).
- Submit a web tip through the DPS website by selecting the fugitive you have information about then clicking on the link under their picture.
- Submit a Facebook tip by clicking the "SUBMIT A TIP" link (under the "About" section).
All tips are anonymous — regardless of how they are submitted — and tipsters will be provided a tip number instead of using a name.
The Source: Information from this article was gathered from previous FOX 26 reports and the Texas DPS website.