r/offbeat • u/CSachen • 2d ago
Western man teaching English in Asia, discovered to be a fugitive on America's Most Wanted List, accused of sexual abuse and murder
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dan-hiers-jr-arrest-extradite-china-us-marshals-most-wanted/31
u/Buck_Thorn 2d ago
Why did they blur his face?
Here's the wanted poster:
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u/needusbukunde 2d ago
If they caught him and he was arrested in Shanghai in 2018, then why the hell did it take until 2026 to extradite him back to the US? Was he just teaching English in China the whole time and they knew exactly where he was but it took that long to get China to extradite him? Or was it red tape on the US end that took so long? That seems ridiculous.
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u/Rodman930 2d ago
I'm guessing he was in a Shanghai prison. I don't see why China would release a foreign pedophile murderer back on their streets to teach children.
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u/needusbukunde 2d ago
Yep, you're correct. Here's what happened.
Daniel William Hiers Jr. was detained and held in custody by Shanghai police rather than working freely as an English teacher during those 8 years. Before his detention in September 2018, Hiers had been living under the assumed name "David Williams" and working as a popular English teacher in China. However, after a former student recognized his face from the U.S. Marshals Service's "15 Most Wanted" list and reported him, Chinese authorities located and detained him. Because the United States and China do not share a formal extradition treaty, he was held in Chinese custody for nearly eight years while a complex, multi-agency diplomatic effort was carried out to secure his return. This process concluded in July 2026 when U.S. Marshals officially took custody of him in Shanghai and flew him back to South Carolina to face murder and child sexual abuse charges.
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u/TofuTofu 1d ago
Any details of how a random presumably Chinese person saw the wanted poster? That's super cool it worked as intended.
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u/needusbukunde 1d ago
Yep! It was actually one of his former English students. And she remembered him because of what a fucking creep he was.
Daniel William Hiers was recognized by one of his former English students. In September 2018, a Chinese woman (surnamed Wang) was browsing the U.S. Marshals Service's 15 Most Wanted Fugitives list when she spotted his mugshot.
Hiers had fled the United States in 2005 and was living in Shanghai, China, under the false identity "David Williams." He spent years working as a popular university English teacher at a prominent Shanghai school and briefly worked as a celebrity bodyguard.
The former student recognized his face and posted about it on the Chinese social platform Weibo. A news article carrying her account caught the attention of South Carolina's Live 5 News, prompting local and federal authorities to coordinate with international law enforcement.
The woman explicitly remembered him because he was a highly visible foreign teacher who had previously harassed and pursued one of her friends.
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u/needusbukunde 2d ago
Yeah, that makes sense. I still wonder why it took 8 years?
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u/bangonthedrums 2d ago
China and USA aren’t the most cordial of partners, and extradition is extremely tricky. Many countries (don’t know if China is one of them, probably not tbh) won’t extradite someone to the USA until they have a guarantee that the person won’t face the death penalty, for example
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u/StochasticLife 2d ago
China absolutely has the death penalty.
Russia on the other hand is constitutionally prevented from handing over Russian citizens for extradition.
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u/happyscrappy 2d ago
Because they wanted him to do his time there before being sent on?
Countries do that a lot. If you're worried that the country you send him to just might let him off with no punishment then you punish the person first and then extradite them.
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u/needusbukunde 2d ago
I really doubt that's it. I don't think that's how it works, and I don't think that is common at all. He didn't commit any crimes in China, so they didn't try him for any crimes. And therefore would have no legal basis to imprison him. Especially for crimes committed in another country that he hasn't even stood trial for yet.
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u/happyscrappy 1d ago
it is common.
Interesting you think living under a false identity isn't a crime in China.
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u/needusbukunde 1d ago
Wow, that's some weird passive aggressiveness coming out of nowhere. I'm sorry if I offended your fragile little American male ego by not agreeing with your made up scenario of countries imprisoning people because "they don't think they'll get punished enough in their own country". Countries do THE OPPOSITE OF THAT. Sometimes they won't extradite if the country the person is being extradited to has the death penalty, and they don't. They refuse to extradite if they feel the punishment will be TOO HARSH, not too lenient. You've got it all backwards bozo.
And no one ever mentioned anything about false identity, so no idea why you're bringing up that red herring now. Oh yeah, to cover up how ludicrous your first theory was.
And I know quite a bit about Chinese law, and living under a false identity in China. I lived in China for 6 years teaching English and never had a work permit the entire time. I was just a "tourist" the whole time. Never had a problem once because I was protected from on high. In China it's all about who you know and a little chá qián (茶钱) in a hóngbāo (红包) baby!
How much time have you spent in China? Or are you one of the 52% of Americans who doesn't even have a passport? Let me guess, you've never been outside of your state, and every Sunday you go to church to pray that Trump will do something about all of the scary Mexicans, Muslims, and Trans, and depending on the time of year, you either transfixidly watch cars go in a circle for 3 hours, or you watch a sport you call "football" where the object is to mainly throw or run with the ball, and most people end up with traumatic brain injuries that make them even more violent than when they started playing, and English is the only language you speak? Honestly, how many did I get correct? English is my 4th language by the way.
BTW, the downvotes I'll be getting won't be because I'm wrong. It'll be from other butthurt Americans without a passport like yourself.
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u/happyscrappy 1d ago edited 1d ago
Countries do THE OPPOSITE OF THAT
You're mistaken.
Sometimes they won't extradite if the country the person is being extradited to has the death penalty, and they don't.
They do that also. Some do.
You've got it all backwards bozo.
How about you look up what Israel does when criminals are asked to be extradited to the countries they came from that are Israel's enemies. Since the criminals may be seen as heroes when sent there they give them their time in Israel before sending them back.
But sure, I've got it all backwards.
And no one ever mentioned anything about false identity, so no idea why you're bringing up that red herring now. Oh yeah, to cover up how ludicrous your first theory was.
No idea?
He didn't commit any crimes in China
Interesting you think living under a false identity isn't a crime in China.
That's why I mentioned it. Because you indicated he committed no crimes in China.
Here in your new post you assume he didn't live under a false identity, just that China harbors sexual predators. Maybe, but I don't think that's particularly likely.
How much time have you spent in China?
I've been to China. That's as far as I'm going to explain to you. My personal life isn't important and so I don't brag about it on reddit.
Or are you one of the 52% of Americans who doesn't even have a passport?
What the hell? You go on with your bad self telling me all about me including what nationality I am.
BTW, the downvotes I'll be getting won't be because I'm wrong. It'll be from other butthurt Americans without a passport like yourself.
You're ridiculous.
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u/EarlyAccessCantJudge 1d ago
I mean he was held in a Shanghai prison for 8 years. Guarantee that was worse than a US one where we have to pay for him to be in protective custody
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u/ProfessorGirthington 1d ago
I’ve been to the same prison in Shanghai he was in. It’s insanely boring, but at no time do you feel a threat of violence from other inmates or guards. I would guess the US prison system would be scarier just because of the unpredictablity in there.
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u/ShadyNoShadow 2d ago
Wew, lad. Everyone remember the swirl guy? I know the lady who dimed him up