Former South Carolina police officer extradited from China to U. S. after two decades as fugitive in wife’s murder case
A former South Carolina police officer accused of murdering his wife has been extradited from China to the United States, bringing to an end more than two decades as an international fugitive.
1st August 2026 – (Columbia) A former South Carolina police officer accused of murdering his wife has been extradited from China to the United States, bringing to an end more than two decades as an international fugitive. The U. S. Marshals Service confirmed that Dan Hiers Jr. , now 53, has been returned to South Carolina following a protracted investigation involving American and Chinese authorities. Photographs released by the agency show a blurred image of a man under escort by law enforcement officials on an airport tarmac and aircraft jet bridge, although the specific airport was not disclosed. Hiers had served with the Charleston Police Department before being suspended in 2004 amid allegations of sexual misconduct involving a minor. In November of that year, he was arrested by North Charleston police on charges relating to lewd acts with a child under the age of 16. He was later released on bail and was due to surrender to the sheriff’s department on 15 March 2005, but failed to appear. On the same day he was expected to hand himself in, his wife, Ludmila Hiers, was discovered dead at their home. Investigators alleged she had been shot in the back of the head while asleep. An arrest warrant was subsequently issued, but Hiers had vanished. His disappearance triggered an additional federal charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. The case attracted widespread attention in the United States and was featured on national crime programmes, including “America’s Most Wanted”. Hiers was eventually placed on the US Marshals’ list of its 15 Most Wanted fugitives. For years, the investigation yielded little progress. However, in 2018, authorities in Shanghai detained a man believed to be Hiers after receiving information that he had been living under the alias David Williams and working as an English teacher. A tip-off from a member of the public reportedly helped identify him. Officials said the extradition followed an extensive and complex inquiry conducted in cooperation with international partners. The US Marshals credited China’s Ministry of Public Security, the US State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the Federal Bureau of Investigation with playing key roles in securing his return. In a statement, US Marshals Service Director Gadyaces S. Serralta said Hiers had once held a position of public trust but had violated it in the gravest manner. He described the suspect’s return to South Carolina as a significant development and praised the persistence of the agencies involved in bringing the long-running case closer to resolution.