Authorities have apprehended a 30-year-old California man in connection with a series of murders targeting strip club workers in Mexico. Bryant Rivera, a U.S. citizen residing in Downey, was arrested by U.S. Marshals and the FBI on Thursday, according to a federal complaint.
Mexican authorities had been searching for a suspect believed to be responsible for the deaths of three women working in bars and strip clubs in Tijuana. Baja California Attorney General Ricardo Iván Carpio Sánchez had previously stated that the suspect was an American living north of the border and compared him to the infamous serial killer Ted Bundy.
According to a federal complaint filed on June 29, Rivera is accused of bringing a sex worker back to his Tijuana hotel room on January 24, 2022. The following day, the woman was found dead from strangulation. The complaint includes photos that prosecutors claim show Rivera with the alleged victim outside the hotel elevator on the night of January 24, 2022, as well as him returning to the U.S. less than two hours later. Mexico has yet to file its official extradition request within the 60-day timeframe, but federal prosecutors state that Mexico intends to submit the request soon. Rivera’s next court appearance is scheduled for Monday, and it remains unclear whether he has legal representation.
Rivera has been charged with femicide, a form of gender-based violence, in Mexico for his alleged involvement in the January 2022 incident. A warrant for his arrest was issued by Baja California in November 2022. Mexican authorities have publicly discussed the case, highlighting the Baja California attorney general’s investigation into the murders of three strip club workers in 2022. The victims were all found dead in hotel rooms. Carpio Sánchez described the suspect as having criminal tendencies associated with violent and psychopathic behavior.