California prison officials are again searching for inmate Miguel Banuelos, 49, who escaped from a conservation camp and was later apprehended in Mexico, only to be released before he could be returned to U.S. custody. Banuelos was reported missing July 4 from the Washington Ridge Conservation Camp near Lake Tahoe. Prison staff discovered he was not present during a headcount about 90 minutes after he was last seen.
Mexican authorities found Banuelos two days later at a home in Tijuana, hundreds of miles from the California border. He was taken into custody and was expected to be transferred back to a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) facility after an appearance before an immigration judge. However, a Mexican magistrate released him on July 10.
Officials with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, along with the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies, are now actively searching for Banuelos, who has an active arrest warrant. He was serving a sentence for drug-related offenses, including transportation or sale of a controlled substance and possession or purchase of heroin or cocaine exceeding four kilograms. His original release date was scheduled for April 20, 2028.
Banuelos had been transferred to the Washington Ridge Conservation Camp, a minimum-security facility that trains inmates in firefighting and disaster response, on July 23, 2025, by officials from San Diego County.
The CDCR stated that approximately 99% of individuals who have absconded from adult institutions, camps, or community-based programs have been apprehended.
Authorities are asking the public to report any information regarding Banuelos' whereabouts to 911 or the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office. Tips can also be directed to OCS Special Agent Tim Keeney at (916) 210-9159.