‘15 Most Wanted’ Fugitive Hiers Back in U.S. to Face Justice for 2005 Murder of Wife

WASHINGTON - A fugitive who fled to China after being placed on the U.S. Marshals (USMS) 15 Most Wanted list in June 2005 has been brought back to the United States to face justice.

Dan Hiers Jr., 53, is the subject of a Dorchester County, South Carolina, warrant for criminal sexual conduct with a minor and a Goose Creek, South Carolina, warrant for murder. 

The last confirmed sighting of Hiers was the day of his wife’s murder. Ludimila Hiers, 24, was found dead March 15, 2005, in her Goose Creek, South Carolina, home. Goose Creek Police allege Hiers shot her in the back of the head while she was sleeping.

A warrant was issued for his arrest, but Hiers disappeared.

Hiers worked for the Charleston, South Carolina, Police Department but was suspended in 2004 after he was accused of sexual misconduct with a minor in Dorchester County. The North Charleston Police Department arrested Hiers Nov. 24, 2004, for committing lewd acts on a child under the age of 16. He was released on bond. Hiers was scheduled to surrender on additional charges in Dorchester County on March 15, 2005, but failed to meet his lawyer at the sheriff’s department.

The U.S. Marshals Service had an active arrest warrant for Hiers for Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution. Deputy U.S. Marshals arrived Wednesday in Shanghai, China, to take custody of Hiers and return him to the United States.   

“Dan Hiers was in a position of public trust, but he betrayed that trust in the worst possible way,” said Gadyaces S. Serralta, Director of the U.S. Marshal Service. “Placing him on our 15 Most Wanted list made his capture a priority for this agency. His return to South Carolina is both significant and rewarding, and we thank our domestic and international partners for their tireless persistence in bringing this fugitive to justice.”

“The Diplomatic Security Service was proud to stand alongside the U.S. Marshals Service and our Chinese law enforcement counterparts to ensure Dan Hiers finally answers for his crimes,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Security and Director of the Diplomatic Security Service Nicholas Collura. “Our special agents overseas work tirelessly every day, tracking fugitives who believe distance and time will protect them. Their dedication, alongside our partners, proves that no fugitive is beyond the reach of American justice.”

The Hiers case was featured multiple times over the years on “America’s Most Wanted” and “The Hunt with John Walsh.” 

The USMS gratefully acknowledges the partner agencies that played a critical role in the investigation, apprehension and coordinated removal of the fugitive, including the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, the Department of Justice Office of International Affairs and the FBI.