Man on Massachusetts Most Wanted list for alleged crimes against children held without bail after apprehension in Ecuador

A fugitive on the Massachusetts Most Wanted list charged with possession and creation of Child Sexual Abuse Material was apprehended in Ecuador and extradited to Massachusetts after being on the run since 2020.

According to Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan, in March 2019, the Northampton Police Department began investigating a report that a Northampton resident had shared a video through social media that was believed to contain CSAM. The individual was identified as 55-year-old Jude Demeis of Northampton.

As a result of the investigation, the Hampshire County Grand Jury returned indictments in September 2019 charging Demeis with three counts of Possession of CSAM and one count of Posing or Exhibiting a Child in a State of Nudity. Although the Court issued an arrest warrant for Demeis, law enforcement was unable to execute the warrant because Demeis had fled the jurisdiction.

Extensive efforts were made to locate Demeis, including by the Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Demeis remained on the run until early 2026 when the FBI located him in Ecuador, and he was subsequently arrested by Ecuadorian authorities at the request of the United States.

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs assisted the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office by securing Demeis’ arrest in Ecuador and extradition to the United States. The FBI’s Office of the Legal Attaché in Colombia, the U.S. Embassy in Quito, and the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service also provided significant assistance.

Thursday, Demeis was escorted from Ecuador to Boston by the U.S. Marshals Service.

Court records show that at arraignment in Hampshire Superior Court on Friday, Demeis pled not guilty and was held without bail. A bail hearing is scheduled for August 31st.