'Master of disguise' with 13 names, suspect in girlfriend's murder who loved his alias for 2 years, caught in the US

In a significant development, Tyler Adams, a fugitive who declared himself a ‘master of disguise’ and is a suspect in the death of his girlfriend Racquel Sabean, has been apprehended after a four-year manhunt. The arrest, which took place in Newport Beach, California, is expected to lead to Adams’ extradition to Hawaii, where authorities have sought him since his escape from state custody in 2019. Adams, 51, had been serving time at the O’ahu Community Correctional Center for felony theft convictions when he failed to return from a work furlough in May 2019. The FBI has publicly sought Adams for questioning regarding Racquel Sabean’s death in 2022, whose body was discovered in a cooler in the trunk of a car in Tijuana, Mexico. Prior to his arrest, Adams utilised various aliases, including Aaron Lee, David Smith, Dominic Braun, and others, as revealed by the FBI. His last sighting entering the United States under the alias ‘Aaron Bain’ was on June 16, 2022, a day after Mexican police questioned him about Sabean’s disappearance. Despite being the father of Racquel’s seven-month-old daughter Valentina, Adams has not been charged in her death. Valentina is currently in protective custody since her mother’s disappearance. Racquel’s father, David Sabean, expressed suspicions about Adams, citing red flags in their interactions. Despite Adams claiming to be a ‘Mormon,’ David became skeptical after noticing a tattoo, considering it inconsistent with Mormon practices. Adams had been known to Racquel as Paul Phillips during their two-year relationship. After being questioned by authorities regarding his girlfriend’s death, Adams fled the country, crossing the border into the United States under a new alias, Aaron Bain. The FBI issued a public release seeking assistance in locating Adams, describing him as a ‘phony’ and a ‘master of disguise.’ Mexican authorities detained Adams on June 15, 2022, regarding an Amber Alert for his infant daughter. The child was found safe with a babysitter in Mexico and remains in protective custody. Despite video surveillance indicating Adams’ presence at the location where Racquel’s body was found, he has not been charged in connection with the murder.