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Post by Scumhunter on Aug 10, 2015 8:23:10 GMT -5
  (Left: Arrest photo of Wilfred Cotaya (1981) Right: Age-enhanced photo from 2004 AMW airing) Wilfred Cotaya was aired three times on America's Most Wanted: February 17th, 1996, January 25th, 1998 and March 20th, 2004. Below is the 2004 archived description of the case: "Wilfred Cotaya is wanted by the New Orleans Police Department for the aggravated rape and kidnapping of a 20-year-old woman. According to police, on April 15, 1981, Cotaya met the young woman at Frank's Wharf in the trendy lakefront section of New Orleans. Cotaya introduced himself as "Will" and bought the woman and her friends champagne. After several hours together, the young woman and her friends decided to leave Franks and head out to another bar. Cotaya offered to drive the young woman and she accepted. Police say Cotaya instantly turned from the all-American boy into a violent rapist. He knocked the woman unconscious and placed her in the trunk of his car. He then drove away, stopping only once to blindfold and gag her. Cotaya then proceeded on to his final destination, his quarter-million dollar estate. Cotaya dragged the woman across the lawn in to the house. There, he tied her to the bed and repeatedly raped her over a period of six hours. After a full investigation, Cotaya confessed. Subsequently, police charged Cotaya with a similar rape that occurred four months earlier. Cotaya's father posted three quarters of a million dollar cash bond and Cotaya was released." Thoughts? Unfortunately, there's no info on height, age, etc. from back then although there is this information about this quirks: "Described as meticulous and a neat freak, a braggart, known to enjoy skiing, known to enjoy movies, may collect them." So this is just me speculating her but I would assume he'd be somewhere around 50's or 60's today since he looked in his 20's or 30's in that old arrest photo. It is bizarre though that it's been 34 years and a guy who in my opinion was a potential serial rapist seemingly disappeared off the face of the Earth- making me wonder if he died or was eventually imprisoned in another country under an alias. Admin Note #1: Based on wanted location, our advice for anyone with any information on this case is to call New Orleans Crime Stoppers at 504-822-1111. You can also submit a web tip to them at the following link: www.tipsubmit.com/WebTips.aspx?AgencyID=351Admin Note #2: Our site could use more information about Wilfred Cotaya and his age, height, etc. today. If you have any info on that or if there's any news-related updates on this case, please contact us here: amwfans.com/thread/1662/website-contact-formwww2.amw.com/site/thisweek/C/CotayaWilfred/cotayaindex.html |
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Post by pakman on Aug 11, 2015 7:23:53 GMT -5
According to AMW's reenactment, investigators tracked down Cotaya almost immediately. The victim went straight to police to report the crime and when detectives went back to the bar, they found out that Cotaya, who was the only person that night to buy champagne, used a credit card. Because the credit card was in Cotaya's name, they were able to track him down pretty quickly. The detective said there was still blood evidence from the rape in Cotaya's home and the victim's jewelry was just laying on a table. They apparently had him within less than 24 hours.
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Post by HeadMarshal on Apr 30, 2016 15:32:35 GMT -5
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Post by Maddog on Mar 25, 2018 3:38:52 GMT -5
It doesn't look like this was brought up, but when Cotaya was profiled in 2004, Walsh mentioned that he had fled to Mexico after posting bail. However, Walsh mentioned that the FBI had received word from numerous informants that Cotaya had slipped back into the U.S. in 2004 (although the FBI profiled him on their website in October or November of 2003). Whether he fled back to Mexico or is back here is anyone's guess.
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Post by Scumhunter on Jul 7, 2018 5:03:49 GMT -5
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Post by Maddog on Jul 12, 2018 21:33:51 GMT -5
I believe the info that he came back to the US is credible - I'm guessing he's popping back and forth between the U.S. and Mexico due to the Interpol notice.
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Post by Scumhunter on Mar 10, 2023 16:58:46 GMT -5
I could not find a UFAP warrant for Cotaya in online PACER search, we do know he definitely had one based on being on FBI website, but the case is likely too old to follow online.
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Post by Maddog on Jul 2, 2023 2:34:07 GMT -5
I will not link it here because we do not have independent verification that this is Cotaya’s father, but a Wilfred Cotaya did pass away a few years ago in Louisiana. We do know that Wilfred Cotaya, the fugitive, had the full name of Wilfred C. Cotaya, Jr. Interestingly, if this is the father of the fugitive, the obituary mentions absolutely nothing about his son.
This tells me that Cotaya likely wasn’t receiving help from his family on the run. The reason I say this: I remember the detective assigned to the case (who did a phenomenal job with his investigation and had Cotaya in custody less than a day) indicated that Cotaya’s father posted a hefty amount for bail, and then Cotaya fled to Mexico. I’m sure his father felt betrayed by him fleeing.
By the way, the punishment for aggravated kidnapping in Louisiana? Per RS Sec. 14-44:
“Whoever commits the crime of aggravated kidnapping shall be punished by life imprisonment at hard labor without benefit of parole, probation, or suspension of sentence.”
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Post by Scumhunter on Jul 2, 2023 5:07:30 GMT -5
While I want to stress I'm not accusing anyone, sometimes family does post bail so their loved one can escape. But there's also cases like John Ruffo where he leaves everyone high and dry
This is likely Cotaya's father though.
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Post by Maddog on Jul 2, 2023 13:12:11 GMT -5
While I want to stress I'm not accusing anyone, sometimes family does post bail so their loved one can escape. But there's also cases like John Ruffo where he leaves everyone high and dry This is likely Cotaya's father though. Agreed. Another thing: we do know from the 2004 airing that there was recent information developed that Cotaya had slipped back into the U.S. That does NOT mean that Cotaya’s family was helping him. I think they gathered that info from 1) Past friends who may have been contacted by him; 2) Or family may have been contacted by him and they reported it to law enforcement. Just receiving a phone call from someone who is a fugitive on the run out of the blue and then reporting it to the police is NOT a crime. Thus, I am skeptical that his family is helping him. |
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