LYNN — The Boston Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Child Exploitation-Human Trafficking Task Force is asking the public for help in locating a longtime fugitive who is wanted for possession of child pornography and rape of a child with force.
The FBI is offering a reward of up to $10,000 to anyone who can provide information leading to the capture and conviction of Melchor Datu, formerly of Lynn.
Datu is a 50-year-old Asian man with brown eyes whose aliases include Melchor Juico Datu, Melchor Luico Datv, Javier Sanchez, Xavier Belcher, and Fred Datu.
A federal arrest warrant was issued for Datu on Dec. 18, 2012 charging him with possession of child pornography.
Six years later, on June 23, 2017, an arrest warrant was issued by Lynn District Court charging him with rape of a child with force.
At the time of the alleged crimes, he had black hair, weighed about 140 pounds, and was approximately 5 feet, 3 inches with a scar under one eye.
His last known residence was on Estes Street in Lynn, where he was a handyman who performed a wide range of repairs and maintenance work.
Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division, Joseph R. Bonavolonta, said the crimes Datu is accused of are disturbing and sickening and have robbed children of their childhood.
“The FBI will never waver in its commitment to protect our society’s most vulnerable, and that’s why we’re offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to his capture and conviction,” said Bonavolonta. “We are asking anyone with information about Datu’s whereabouts to contact us. No amount of information is too small or irrelevant.”
Datu was born on Jan. 27, 1971 in Butuan, the Province of Agusan del Norte in the Caraga region of the Philippines.
He was adopted as an infant and immigrated to the United States with his parents in the 1980s.
Datu speaks English and is also fluent in Tagalog.
Investigators have determined that Datu left Massachusetts on Dec. 17, 2008 when he traveled to New York and took a flight to Florida and then a flight to Haiti.
He was last known to be in the Dominican Republic in 2009, and also has family in New York and the Philippines.
The public is being asked to review Datu’s wanted poster, which includes new photographs and an age-progressed photo of him at 50 years old.
An international publicity campaign will also be launched with targeted publicity in the countries to which Datu has been tied.
The FBI is offering a monetary reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of this individual. Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts should immediately call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), their local law enforcement agency, or their nearest American embassy or consulate.
Tips can also be electronically submitted at tips.fbi.gov.
