![\"Sacramento](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/SAC_4066_CamronLeeCapture_HA_260519.JPG\" "\\"Sacramento")
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Sacramento District Attorney Thien Ho on Tuesday announces the capture of Camron Lee, who will face murder and weapons charges for the 2024 death of Sacramento mother Angelica Bravo. Lee was arrested in Mexico with his son and daughter, who are now in the custody of their maternal grandmother. <\/p>\n
HECTOR AMEZCUA<\/p>\n
hamezcua@sacbee.com<\/p>\n
Camron Lee is in custody in a San Diego jail and will face murder and weapons charges in Sacramento as early as Thursday in the killing of Sacramento mother Angelica Bravo.<\/p>\n
The two children the fugitive father spirited away to Mexico after Bravo\u2019s slaying nearly two years ago<\/a> are safe in Sacramento County with their maternal grandmother, said Sacramento and federal authorities at a news conference Tuesday in downtown Sacramento.<\/p>\n \u201cSince July 8, 2024, Angelica Bravo\u2019s family has been waiting for justice,\u201d Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho told reporters with FBI Sacramento Acting Special Agent in Charge Eugene Wu and Sacramento Police Chief Zachary Bales. Lee\u2019s arrest Sunday and his return to California, Ho said, \u201cbrings the family closer to justice and the healing that they deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n Sacramento County District Attorney\u2019s prosecutors have filed an open count of murder in Bravo\u2019s death along with gun charges in Sacramento Superior Court, Ho said, as they await Lee\u2019s extradition to Sacramento County.<\/p>\n A tip two weeks ago led FBI investigators, with help from Mexican authorities and military personnel, to Primo Tapia, the Baja California town where Lee, now 40, was captured without incident, Wu said.<\/p>\n The children, Athena Lee, 5, and Mateo Lee, 4, were asleep as the long, complex operation to capture their father Sunday evening reached its end in Baja.<\/p>\n Athena and Mateo are \u201chealthy and happy to be here,\u201d Wu said of their reunification with Bravo\u2019s family in Elk Grove. \u201cThey\u2019re in good spirits.\u201d<\/p>\n Wu later remarked on the Bravo family\u2019s courage through the nearly two-year manhunt for Lee.<\/p>\n \u201cHer family stood with us … reminding everyone that these children need to come home. Her family kept our search alive,\u201d Wu said. \u201cTheir strength and trust in the face of uncertainty motivated all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n Lee, 40, was booked into San Diego Central Jail at 1:22 a.m. by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official. Jail records list him as ineligible for release and show a murder charge along with a federal hold in connection with Bravo\u2019s death.<\/p>\n Bravo, 28, was found dead at her home on Didcot Circle in North Sacramento\u2019s Oak Knoll neighborhood. Friends had asked police to check on her, and officers found her unresponsive in a bathtub<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cToday marks another step forward in the pursuit of justice for Angelica Bravo, her family, and all those impacted by her murder in July 2024,\u201d said Zachary Bales, Sacramento Police Department\u2019s interim chief, adding that \u201cMr. Lee will now be held accountable for his actions.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis case sends a clear message that violence will not be tolerated in our community, and those who harm others will be pursued with determination and resolve,\u201d Bales said. \u201cOur thoughts remain with Ms. Bravo\u2019s family and loved ones, and we hope this development brings them a measure of solace as they continue to carry this profound loss.\u201d<\/p>\n Investigators said Lee had taken the children and fled in a gray 2023 Honda Passport that was later seen crossing into Mexico<\/a>. The vehicle was eventually found abandoned near Ensenada. Authorities on Tuesday said Lee is \u201cproficient\u201d in Spanish but declined to say whether he had help eluding law enforcement while in Mexico.<\/p>\n Those questions, DA Ho said, will be \u201canswered in time.\u201d<\/p>\n Lee was initially described as a person of interest before prosecutors charged him with murder. Authorities said the Sacramento County Coroner\u2019s Office later concluded that homicide could not be ruled out in Bravo\u2019s death<\/a>. Her body had multiple injuries, and toxicology testing detected MDMA in her system.<\/p>\n Bravo\u2019s family has said she was trying to leave a violent relationship<\/a> with Lee before she died.<\/p>\n As news of Lee\u2019s capture emerged Tuesday morning, loved ones expressed relief and joy at the recovery of Bravo\u2019s children.<\/p>\n \u201cMy business partner, Rob Brown, texted me and said, \u2018They found the kids and they\u2019re alive,\u2019 \u201d Carnette Burnett, educational director at the Mixed Institute of Cosmetology & Barber, said in a phone interview. \u201cIt\u2019s buzzing over here. Everyone\u2019s screaming. I\u2019m still having chills.\u201d<\/p>\n Burnett said Bravo studied at the Mixed Institute, later attended another beauty college and eventually returned to teach there. In the days before her death, Burnett said Bravo did not report to work and sent her a text message saying she had COVID-19 and would not be coming in.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was one of the last things we heard from her,\u201d Burnett said.<\/p>\n The Mixed Institute held a vigil after learning of Bravo\u2019s death<\/a>. Each year, the school also hosts a backpack giveaway in her honor. In 2025, the school distributed 874 backpacks in Bravo\u2019s memory, each decorated with a pair of angel wings.<\/p>\n \u201cAngelica, Ms. Angel, she was an inspiration to everybody who walked through that door,\u201d Burnett said. \u201cShe was excited about the education she received here and she said she wanted to pass that forward.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe still miss her. We still have her angel wings up for her,\u201d Burnett added.<\/p>\n The FBI and Sacramento police offered up to $50,000 in combined rewards for information<\/a> leading to Lee\u2019s arrest and conviction, and the recovery of the children.<\/p>\n \u201cA single tip brought a fugitive to justice for his alleged crime and reunited a family,\u201d FBI Sacramento Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel said in a statement. \u201cWe are grateful for the trust Angelica Bravo\u2019s family placed in law enforcement and the confidence the tipster placed in the FBI. This apprehension reflects the FBI\u2019s strong partnership with domestic and international law enforcement to ensure fugitives have nowhere to hide.\u201d<\/p>\n The FBI, DA\u2019s Office and Sacramento police credited the assistance of the Mexico Office of the Attorney General, Mexico\u2019s National Institute of Immigration, elements of the Mexican military, the FBI\u2019s legal attach\u00e9 office in Mexico City, American Citizen Services, the U.S. Consulate General in Tijuana, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the U.S. Department of Justice\u2019s Office of International Affairs in helping to capture Lee, who is expected to be transferred into Sacramento County Main Jail custody in the coming days.<\/p>\n The Bee\u2019s Reeti Malhotra contributed to this story.<\/p>\n This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 8:00 AM.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n![\"Camron](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/LEE-PHOTO.jpg\" "\\"LEE-PHOTO.jpg\\"")
Camron Lee, left, Athena Lee and Mateo Lee were pictured in a Sacramento Police Department alert issued after Angelica Bravo was found dead on July 8, 2024, at a North Sacramento home. Lee, who was accused of killing Bravo and disappearing with the two children, was arrested Tuesday San Diego. Authorities said they would provide an update on the children\u2019s condition. Sacramento Police Department <\/p>\n![\"Angelica](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/img-24-07-17-E53F6.jpg\" "\\"img-24-07-17-E53F6.jpg\\"")
Angelica Bravo is shown with inspirational messages she posted at the Mixed Institute in Sacramento, where she worked as an instructor. Bravo, a 28-year-old mother of three, was found dead on July 8, 2024, at a North Sacramento home. Her boyfriend, Camron Lee, who was accused of killing her and disappearing with their two young children, was arrested Tuesday in San Diego. Cecelia Spencer <\/p>\n![\"Sacramento](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/SAC_4128_CamronLeeCapture_HA_260519.JPG\" "\\"SAC_4128_CamronLeeCapture_HA_260519.JPG\\"")
Sacramento District Attorney Thien Ho on Tuesday announces the capture of Camron Lee, who will face murder and weapons charges for the 2024 death of Sacramento mother Angelica Bravo. Lee was arrested in Mexico with his son and daughter, who are now in the custody of their maternal grandmother. HECTOR AMEZCUA hamezcua@sacbee.com <\/p>\n