A man accused of nearly killing his girlfriend by slashing her throat during a brutal 2024 attack in Campbell County has been captured following an extensive multi-state manhunt, according to the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS).
On Tuesday, USMS announced that deputies arrested Alejandro Mancera Canchola, who is in the U.S. illegally, on June 15 in Indianapolis, Indiana, where investigators say he had been living and working under the radar since fleeing Tennessee after the 2024 attack.
Canchola was wanted on charges of attempted first-degree murder stemming from a December 17, 2024, incident at a residence on South Avenue in LaFollette.
According to USMS, Canchola went to the home of his girlfriend, who is also the mother of his child, and allegedly attempted to kill her by slashing her throat “from ear to ear.”
U.S. Marshals Arrest Man Wanted for Slashing Woman’s Throat in LaFollettehttps://t.co/tFWsCWfW7t#USMarshals
— U.S. Marshals Service (@USMarshalsHQ) June 17, 2026
USMS said the blade broke during the attack and was later removed from the victims’ throat by doctors.
Investigators reported that while retrieving a second knife, Canchola allegedly told the victim he had previously killed his first wife and buried her in Mexico. Concerned for the safety of their infant child, the victim convinced Canchola to take the baby to a neighbor. During that brief opportunity, she escaped the residence despite suffering life-threatening injuries.
The victim, whose identity is being withheld, reportedly stuffed a towel into her throat wound and crawled into the street, where she was spotted and helped by bystanders.
She was initially transported to Tennova Medical Center in LaFollette before being transferred to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville for extensive treatment. She has since recovered from the attack.
According to USMS, Canchola stole the victim’s vehicle and disappeared after the attack. Investigators spent months pursuing leads, at times questioning whether he may have died after allegedly telling the victim he intended to kill both her and himself.
The case remained active under the leadership of LaFollette Police Chief Matt Forsyth, who had previously served on the USMS Smoky Mountains Fugitive Task Force. Working alongside federal investigators, authorities later confirmed that Mexican officials were also seeking Canchola in connection with the murder of his ex-wife.
The agency said a breakthrough in the case eventually led investigators to Indianapolis, where members of the USMS Service Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force determined Canchola was employed at an Indian restaurant and living nearby. When deputies approached him at the business, officials said he initially fled on foot before being captured and allegedly provided a false identity before admitting his true identity.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has since placed a detainer on Canchola, who is currently being held in Marion County, Indiana, pending extradition to Tennessee to face the attempted murder charge.
USMS said Mexican authorities have also been notified of Canchola’s arrest.
The arrest comes amid heightened immigration enforcement activity across East Tennessee, including an announcement by ICE Tuesday that a week-long operation conducted in Sevier County and surrounding communities last month resulted in the arrest of 117 illegal aliens.
According to ICE, several individuals taken into custody during the targeted enforcement operation had prior criminal convictions or pending charges involving offenses such as domestic assault, theft, driving under the influence, and attempted aggravated sexual battery.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
