photo by: Courtesy of Douglas County Sheriff's Office

Jose Alfredo Galiano Meza (originally reported as Mesa)

The man who was wanted in a hit-and-run that killed a Eudora 10-year-old last month has been arrested in Indiana, according to a news release from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s office was notified Saturday morning that the man, Jose Alfredo Galiano Mesa, 28, of Overland Park, was taken into custody in Martinsville, Indiana, by U.S. Marshals and Indiana state troopers.

The sheriff’s office had a warrant for Mesa’s arrest as the suspected driver of a van that struck a motorcycle about 5:19 p.m. on May 14 at East 1900 Road and Kansas Highway 10. Brooklyn Brouhard, 10, of Eudora, later died from injuries suffered in the crash. She was a passenger on the motorcycle driven by her grandfather Barry Larson, 54, of Eudora, who was also injured.

photo by: Tatum Goetting

Community members say a prayer at a vigil for Brooklyn Brouhard, 10, of Eudora, on Thursday, May 19, 2022. Brooklyn died after a hit-and-run Saturday afternoon on East 1900 Road and Kansas Highway 10.

Authorities in Indiana located a vehicle with Mesa inside and took him into custody, and the sheriff’s office will now work on getting him extradited to Kansas to face charges in Douglas County, Sheriff Jay Armbrister said.

“We are grateful for this arrest to begin the next chapter in the process in bringing answers to Brooklyn and her family. We thank all law enforcement agencies, especially the U.S. Marshals for their hard work.” Armbrister said in the news release. “I also want to thank the public for their patience and trust in us in this process as we were limited in information we could provide while trying to locate a suspect in this serious crime who was eluding us.”

Mesa’s immigration status played a large role in the need to keep his name from the public, Armbrister said.

“It was our fear that he would flee the country if we made him famous for all the wrong reasons, and we were poised to do so if it appeared he was moving south,” Armbrister said. “However, through tireless investigation, we knew he was still in the Midwest and could not risk pushing him out of the area, and due to those efforts, we were able to bring him safely into custody.”

Deputies early in the investigation were able to identify Mesa as the driver of the van that struck the motorcycle and left the scene, the sheriff’s office said. Mesa had been in Lawrence earlier in the day on May 14 for a painting job and was driving back to the Kansas City area.

Witnesses reported the driver of the white van after the collision proceeded down the ramp leaving its bumper behind and returned to eastbound K-10. Based on vehicle debris at the scene, witness interviews and assistance from area law enforcement agencies, deputies identified the vehicle and seized it on May 16 in the Kansas City area. After identifying Mesa, deputies and fellow law enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Marshals Service, had attempted to locate Mesa.