Former Charleston Police Officer Returned From China to Face Charges

Former Charleston Police Officer Returned From China to Face 2005 Murder, Child Sex Crime Charges

WASHINGTON, D.C. — More than two decades after disappearing and becoming one of the U.S. Marshals Service’s 15 Most Wanted fugitives, former Charleston police officer Dan Hiers Jr. has been returned to the United States from China to face murder and child sex crime charges in South Carolina.

The U.S. Marshals Service announced Wednesday that Hiers, 53, was taken into custody in Shanghai, China, and returned to the United States by deputy U.S. marshals after years on the run.

Hiers is wanted in Dorchester County on charges of criminal sexual conduct with a minor and in Goose Creek on a murder charge stemming from the 2005 death of his wife.

According to investigators, Ludimila Hiers, 24, was found dead in the couple’s Goose Creek home on March 15, 2005. Authorities allege she was shot in the back of the head while she slept. A warrant was issued for Hiers’ arrest, but he vanished before he could be taken into custody.

Before his disappearance, Hiers served as an officer with the Charleston Police Department. He had been suspended in 2004 after being accused of sexually abusing a minor in Dorchester County. The North Charleston Police Department arrested him on Nov. 24, 2004, on charges of committing lewd acts on a child under the age of 16. He was released on bond and was scheduled to surrender on additional charges on March 15, 2005—the same day prosecutors say his wife was murdered. Authorities say he never appeared.

Federal authorities later obtained a warrant charging Hiers with Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution, and he was added to the U.S. Marshals Service’s prestigious 15 Most Wanted list in June 2005.

Deputy U.S. marshals traveled to Shanghai this week to assume custody of Hiers before escorting him back 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. Marshals 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 case drew national attention over the years and was featured on both “America’s Most Wanted” and “The Hunt with John Walsh.”

Officials credited an international law enforcement effort with Hiers’ capture and return. The operation involved the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs, and the FBI.

“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 Nicholas Collura, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Diplomatic Security and Director of the Diplomatic Security Service. “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.”

Hiers is expected to be returned to South Carolina to face prosecution on both the murder and child sex crime charges that have remained unresolved for more than 21 years.