Fugitives Adam Rupeka and Jennifer Ogburn are dead, the U.S. State Department confirmed Wednesday afternoon.
“We can confirm the deaths of U.S. citizens Adam Rupeka and Jennifer Ogburn in Tijuana, Mexico,” the State Department statement reads. “The U.S. Consulate in Tijuana is providing consular assistance.”
The State Department referred questions about the circumstances of their deaths and the investigation to Mexican authorities.
The Tijuana-based magazine Zeta, however, reported that the two were found dead in a motel there and their deaths were being investigated as possible drug overdoses and suicides.
A Google translation of the Spanish-language article reports that authorities found “a message written in English on a mirror in the hotel room.”
The message directed authorities to their identifications. “Nobody knows we’re in Mexico,” a portion of the message read, according to the Zeta translation.
Rupeka, 36, of Troy, who gained local notoriety through his online videos challenging police practices, had been wanted since last week when he failed to show up for court on a series of misdemeanors related to allegations he subjected a 15-year-old girl to sexual contact. Ogburn, 26, of Hudson, faced similar charges and also fled.
Rupeka said through an online video posted last week that he would not show up to court, citing his work challenging police and saying he’s “on the run for my life.”
He posted a second video a week ago claiming he fled to Canada, but he had not posted a video since.
Rupeka faced misdemeanor counts of sexual abuse, endangering the welfare of a child and forcible touching.
Rupeka became well known for his videos challenging police. In one from last May in Saratoga Springs, an officer’s reaction to him led to the officer losing his job and Rupeka winning a $50,000 settlement against the city.
Categories: -News-, Schenectady County
