‘We are his karma:’ Inside the capture of Osceola ‘Most Wanted’ fugitive

POLK COUNTY, Fla. — Ana Albarran said she woke up to a 6 a.m. phone call from a Polk County deputy and couldn’t believe her ears.

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“He was like, ‘Good job. We found him,’” she recalled. “I started screaming. I was crying. I was in disbelief.”

The “him” the deputy was referring to was Ana’s father, Davie Albarran. For the past 451 days, Ana, along with her sister, had spearheaded a campaign to find him.

Success, they said, was a sweet payoff.

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The hunt for the elder Albarran began in 2022 after a young family member told her mother that she had been molested. It kicked off a domino effect of other family members speaking out as well, the daughters recalled, but by the time they reported the allegations to law enforcement, Albarran had disappeared.

The sisters went to the local news. They made viral TikToks asking for tips. They staked out motels, family members’ houses and more. They knew they were close, but never close enough.

Last week, the daughters went on the national crime show, America’s Most Wanted, to plead for information. Of the many tips that came pouring in, one stood out: the location of their father’s cell phone.

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“We didn’t know that he was a fugitive,” the daughters recalled hearing from many of the tipsters.

She said they relayed the cell phone ping to deputies, who caught up to Albarran in a shed behind a home on Country Haven Drive in Lakeland.

“We go to this address and we’re surrounding the house and all of a sudden, the silence of late Sunday night is broken when we hear someone’s scurrying around in a shed,” Sheriff Grady Judd said with a wave of his finger. “So we said to ourselves, so that sounds like nefarious conduct afoot.”

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Judd said the Albarran gave his name as “José,” and intended to escape – until deputies brought out the dog. He wouldn’t confirm other details of the capture mentioned by the family.

Ana and her sister called it “the greatest feeling in the world,” and said they looked forward to finally moving on from this episode in their lives.

They said they equally looked forward to facing Albarran in court.

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“We are his karma,” sister Yaneiry said. “I want him to see that we got him.”

Sheriff Judd called the capture a good reminder of why victims should feel empowered to come forward.

“We can’t make things better for your family if we don’t know about it, so talk to us,” he said.

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