In a coordinated law enforcement effort, U.S. Marshals seized Daricka Moore, 24, of Mississippi, who was wanted on several murder counts, including the tragic death of a 7-year-old girl. According to the U.S. Marshals Service, on Jan. 9, the Clay County Sheriff’s Department requested assistance from the U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force in apprehending Moore, who was charged with first-degree murder in connection with six homicides in Clay County’s Cedar Bluff region.
Members of the Marshals Task Force joined forces with multiple state and local agencies to construct a network of checkpoints to apprehend the suspect. Law officers from several departments, including the Mississippi Highway Patrol and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, were stationed throughout the perimeter, hoping to box Moore in. They observed him departing from a murder scene in a victim’s pickup, later found abandoned in a church parking lot.
Moore was arrested after being stopped at one of the checkpoints. He was driving a white GMC Acadia without identification and initially refused to divulge his identity to investigators. It wasn’t until officers compared his image on the scene to a Mississippi driver’s license photo that they were able to identify him, which led to his arrest around 11 p.m. Officers determined that Moore was driving a GMC Acadia that belonged to one of the slain victims from the third crime site, and they recovered a Glock model 36 pistol inside.
Moore was escorted to the Clay County Jail by officers from the Clay County Sheriff’s Department after being arrested. The United States Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force, in operation since 2006 and having caught over 74,000 fugitives, played a critical role in the speedy capture of Moore. The US Marshals Service anticipates additional charges against Moore as the investigation advances.