The Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) on Tuesday announced authorities in Guatemala had successfully arrested Domingo Sunun, identified by the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala as Domingo “Mingo” Sunun Rodríguez, more than four years after police initially sought public assistance in locating the fugitive.
MNPD first said in September 2021 that Sunun was last known to live in North Nashville, and at the time had three warrants outstanding for the alleged rapes of three children.
“The victims, all under the age of 12 and relatives of Sunun, were raped multiple times since 2017. Detectives believe Sunun may have left the country,” said the department in 2021.
The department announced Sunun (pictured above) was successfully arrested in post on social media, confirming their previous suspicion that he left Nashville, allegedly to evade justice.
“Fugitive Domingo Sunun, 46, who fled Nashville & the United States after he came under investigation by Youth Services detectives in 2021 for the rape and sexual assault of 4 young girls related to him is now in custody in Guatemala,” MNPD announced. “The FBI worked with local authorities there to bring him into custody. Sunun is under indictment on 3 counts of aggravated child rape, 4 counts of child rape, and 5 counts of aggravated sexual battery. His return is expected in early 2026.”
Fugitive Domingo Sunun, 46, who fled Nashville & the United States after he came under investigation by Youth Services detectives in 2021 for the rape and sexual assault of 4 young girls related to him is now in custody in Guatemala. The FBI worked with local authorities there to… pic.twitter.com/oFbYeSlc5h
— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) December 24, 2025
WKRN additionally reported that Sunun’s alleged victims were all under 12 at the time of the assaults.
In a Spanish-language post to Facebook, the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala confirmed that the arrest came as a result of cooperation between the FBI, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the Guatemalan Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), and local authorities in the Central American nation.
The embassy confirmed Sunun was wanted in Tennessee for alleged sexual assault of minors, and wrote in Spanish that the arrest proves, “Justice is prevailing!”
Though the press releases did not state whether Sunun was in the United States illegally before his alleged decision to abscond in 2021, a state report published in January showed more than 2,700 illegal immigrants were arrested or convicted by Tennessee law enforcement or courts during the final three months of 2024. Guatemala was the second most common nation of origin reported.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) detained nearly 200 illegal immigrants during a joint enforcement operation in May.
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Tom Pappert is a 2025 recipient of the Dao Prize and the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star. He also reports for the Star News Network. Follow Tom on X. Email tips to [email protected].
Wasn’t I told by the Nashville bigwigs that their city did/does not have an illegal immigrant problem?