PAYSON — A Mexican national who spent the last 12 years avoiding police after he allegedly shot his cousin in Mexico was recently arrested after a family member spotted him at a swimming pool in Payson.

Jose Cruz-Navarro, 33, was arrested by Payson police officers Aug. 7, after a female cousin called police to report that her brother's killer had just come into the pool area, but he had run out when he saw her, said Payson Police Lt. Bill Wright.

Through a series of events, including having extra officers on duty for Payson's annual Salmon Supper and reserve officers who responded to the call, police were able to identify Cruz-Navarro's car, locate and arrest him, Wright said.

Coordinating with federal officials, including Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents, Wright said, police discovered Cruz-Navarro's outstanding warrant and booked him into the Utah County Jail on an immigration hold.

Utah officials are working with Mexican authorities to arrange Cruz-Navarro's extradition back to Mexico, said Jonathan Lines, assistant special agent in charge of ICE investigations in Utah.

Lines said that in 1997, there had been a family dispute between Cruz-Navarro and his cousin, Efrain Navarro-Garcia, which ended when Cruz-Navarro went to the family farm in Jalisco, Mexico, and fatally shot Navarro-Garcia.

Cruz-Navarro then fled, leaving police unable to arrest him on a murder warrant. Officials know he has been in Utah since 2005, but they were unable to place him from 1997 to 2005, Lines said.

"It is not unusual for foreign nationals (who have committed) crimes to come to the U.S. and seek refuge and often try to blend into quiet parts of the U.S.," Lines said.

Utah is not immune from that trend.

"Unfortunately, we've found that when we encounter foreign nationals and do background checks and research, we often find some very, very serious offenders, some serious criminals basically hiding in the shadows here," he said.

Family members told police they had seen Cruz-Navarro around Utah before but were never able to alert authorities in time, Wright said.

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