‘A monster in her story’: Federal agents and Hinesville police hunt suspect in 2012 sexual assault of toddler

HINESVILLE, Ga. (WTOC) - More than a decade after a three-year-old girl was sexually assaulted inside her babysitter’s Hinesville home, investigators have identified a prime suspect, and a team of federal agents is now hunting him down.

The case dates back to 2012, when Hinesville police responded to a home on Eisenhower Drive and found a toddler standing in a bathroom, covered in blood, the right side of her face severely swollen.

Investigators say someone had shattered a glass panel on the side door of the home, forced their way inside, and carried the child outside.

That person then raped and assaulted her near a tree at the edge of the property.

The babysitter told officers she gone to bed when her dog began barking. When she went to investigate, she found the little girl in the bathroom and immediately called 911.

Officers responding to the scene found a trail of blood stretching from the broken side door to the bathroom. Outside, near the tree, they recovered a man’s T-shirt reeking of alcohol and the child’s underwear.

A medical examination at the hospital confirmed the child had been sexually assaulted and suffered blunt force trauma to the side of her head.

DNA collected from the child’s nightgown was submitted to CODIS — the FBI’s national DNA database — but returned no hits.

The Case Goes Cold

Between 2012 and 2013, investigators sent the DNA evidence to a genealogy expert, who determined the suspect was likely a male of Mexican descent. Despite that lead, the case went cold for years.

Then, on May 29, 2024, Officer Limayri Cruz was assigned as lead investigator on the same day her predecessor retired.

Cruz cross-referenced the genealogy profile with males who had lived near the home at the time of the attack. What she found pointed directly to one man.

A Suspect Emerges

Alfredo Sanchez-Leon lived on Rogers Road, just around the corner from Eisenhower Drive. Investigators say that through a shared backyard, he could have reached the babysitter’s home in as little as three to four minutes.

Records show Sanchez-Leon had previously been charged with aggravated child molestation in Liberty County.

He was in the country illegally, and was deported before he ever faced trial and before investigators could collect his DNA.

“Due to his legal status, he was deported,” Cruz said. “At that point, his DNA was not collected and therefore, no testing was done.”

New Technology, New Leads

Cruz secured a SAKI grant — through the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council — to fund forensic genealogy testing by Othram, a laboratory specializing in cold cases. The same technology has helped crack cold cases across the country. Results are still pending.

Cruz also subpoenaed Sanchez-Leon’s Facebook account, covering activity between January 1 and June 5, 2024. Records showed he was logging in from an AT&T internet connection in Valdosta as recently as February 10, 2024.

Cruz said this suggested he may have re-entered the United States after his deportation. She stated that the AT&T account came back to someone sharing Sanchez-Leon’s last name.

“This three-year-old has had to live a life where she had to overcome many of her traumas due to this person who was a monster in her story,” Cruz said.

“I’m a firm believer that in this job and what I do, I don’t want to ever be a part of a child’s story or a person’s story where I didn’t do everything I could.”

Active Warrant, Federal Manhunt

An active bench warrant, issued August 12, 2024, charges Sanchez-Leon with Aggravated Child Molestation for failure to appear in court. The FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, ICE, and the U.S. Marshals are all actively searching for him. Full extradition has been approved, meaning Sanchez-Leon will be returned to Liberty County to face charges wherever he is found.

The victim is now a teenager. Cruz says she wants to have concrete answers for the family before reaching out.

If You Have Information

If you know the whereabouts of Alfredo Sanchez-Leon, contact the Hinesville Police Department’s non-emergency tip line at 912-368-8211.

This is a developing story. WTOC will continue to update this article as new information becomes available.