Wanted For:

• Criminal Sexual Conduct With A Minor
  North Charleston , SC
• Murder
  Goose Creek , SC

Possible Location(s):

• South Carolina
• Laredo , TX

Latest Airing:

• December 19 2009
• August 22 2009
• January 31 2009
• August 30 2008
• April 05 2008
• September 01 2007
• April 14 2007
• April 08 2006
• January 27 2006
• December 17 2005
• November 12 2005
• May 14 2005
• March 26 2005
• More»

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Hiers "Spotted" Across North America

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Accused murderer Dan Hiers recorded home video while on vacation with his wife. Days later, she was dead.

The public has been keeping their eyes peeled for Dan Hiers, who was accused of murdering his wife, Ludimila in March 2005 and molesting a young girl months earlier. Law enforcement officers say they have received calls from people who have claimed to see Hiers in Massachusetts, North Carolina, New York and even in Canada. Shortly after he first appeared on AMW, a tipster told cops that they had spotted Hiers in Toronto, but a search was inconclusive.

Now police think Hiers may be in Mexico after his dead wife's car was found abandoned in a hospital parking lot in Laredo, Texas -- just miles from the Mexican border. The red Chevrolet Aveo had no license plates and the Vehicle Identification Number had been pried off the dashboard. When Laredo police were finally able to retrieve the VIN, they discovered that it was linked to a nationwide manhunt for Hiers.

A check of hospital surveillance cameras showed that the car had been parked in the same spot since about a month after the Goose Creek, S.C. murder of Hiers' wife. For days, investigators scoured the streets of Laredo -- talking to locals, visiting convenience stores and gas stations, and checking bus stops.

"We are hoping someone will identify him," said Goose Creek Investigator Fred W. Bothman. "I mean, he stands 6 feet 3 inches tall, is an outsider, and is blond, blue-eyed. I would imagine he would stick out like a sore thumb here."

Allegations Of Molestation

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Dan Hiers is accused of murdering his wife just days after they took a weekend vacation to Myrtle Beach, SC.

In addition to placing him on their Most Wanted List, the U.S. Marshals Service has put up a $10,000 reward for any information leading to his capture. Hiers is also on the America's Most Wanted Dirty Dozen list.

According to the Dorchester County Sheriff's Office, Hiers had agreed to turn himself in on March 15, 2005 after warrants were signed for his arrest, charging him with criminal sexual misconduct with a minor and committing a lewd act with a minor.  It would be the second arrest for Hiers in the same case, and this time, the charges were more serious.

It all began months earlier when Hiers was first arrested by North Charleston Police after an 11-year-old girl accused him of molestation.  Cops say Hiers had been sexually abusing the little girl he met at a karate center in West Ashley, S.C. The child's mother says she trusted the former school resource officer who showed an extreme interest in the child and became a family friend.

There was no romantic involvement between Hiers and the girl's mother, who says, "I thought Dan was wonderful and I saw him as a positive role model."  The woman, who is a single mother, says: "I thought we were lucky, that I finally had found a good father figure for my child."

A "No-Show" -- And A Crime Scene

Police say Hiers had been sexually assaulting the girl at her home and in his car, and North Charleston police arrested him in late November 2004. He was later released from jail on a $25,000 personal recognizance bond, but was a no-show on March 15, when he was scheduled to meet his lawyer for his prearranged surrender.

When Hiers didn't answer calls from police, his mother and a neighbor went to his house to check on him, but discovered a crime scene instead.

Police say Hiers' wife, Ludimila, was found shot to death in the bedroom. She had been shot in the head sometime between 7 a.m. and noon. Neighbors say they saw Hiers walking in and out of the house early that afternoon, but by early evening, Hiers was missing along with his wife's car.

Two weeks later, investigators were able to gather enough evidence to officially charge Hiers with his wife's murder.

Officials say Hiers met Ludimila on a trip to Walt Disney World in 1994, when the then 15-year-old was vacationing with her family. With her parents' permission, the two married just before she turned 17 -- Hiers was 22. Now police want to find the man who they say took the young woman's life.