El Dorado County Predator Faked His Death — Captured After 10 Months on the Run

By Lance The PI | CA PI License #27617 | June 29, 2026 | Sacramento Crime

A convicted child predator who staged his own disappearance to avoid prison has been captured in Scottsdale, Arizona, nearly ten months after he walked out of an El Dorado County courthouse and never came back. Carl Wheaton Da Cacconie, convicted in July 2025 on six counts of lewd and criminal acts against a child under the age of 14, faked his own death on the eve of his sentencing and vanished. As a licensed California Private Investigator with over 25 years of experience and a former law enforcement officer, I’m breaking down exactly how he pulled it off — and how the FBI finally ran him down.

The Conviction: Six Counts Against a Child

On July 17, 2025, an El Dorado County jury convicted Cacconie under case number 23CR0731 on two counts of lewd acts with a child under 14, one count of oral copulation with a person under 14, and two counts of sexual penetration with a foreign object on a victim under 14. The offenses occurred between September 2014 and January 2015. The victim was 11 years old.

After the verdict, the District Attorney’s office asked the judge to remand Cacconie into custody immediately — standard practice for a conviction this severe. The judge refused. Cacconie posted a one million dollar bond, surrendered his passport, and was fitted with a GPS ankle monitor. He was ordered to return August 25, 2025 for sentencing, facing up to 18 years in prison. He never came back. The victim’s family has since filed a formal complaint against the judge with the California Commission on Judicial Performance, which remains pending.

The Disappearance: A Staged Death and a Five-Day Window

On August 17, 2025, Cacconie’s ankle monitor stopped transmitting. He was last seen in San Francisco on August 22. Three days later, on his sentencing date, his family told the court he was missing — that he had left behind his phone, his wallet, and a suicide note.

From an investigator’s standpoint, that pattern tells a different story. People in genuine crisis do not first disable a GPS ankle monitor. That takes deliberate planning. His own defense attorney publicly stated he believed his client was dead. He wasn’t. A federal arrest warrant for unlawful flight to avoid confinement was not issued until May 14, 2026 — nearly nine months later — prompting the FBI Sacramento Field Office and El Dorado County investigators to coordinate the manhunt.

The Capture: FBI Tracks Him to Scottsdale Under a Fake Name

On June 14, 2026, the FBI Phoenix Desert Hawk Fugitive Task Force, working alongside Maricopa County Sheriff’s deputies and U.S. Border Patrol agents, arrested Cacconie in Scottsdale, Arizona at 9 a.m. without incident. Prosecutors say he had been living there under a false identity since at least January 2026 — while his family told a courtroom he might be dead.

The victim, now an adult, was notified that Saturday morning. She and her mother broke down. She told KCRA News, which followed this case from the beginning, that his mugshot looked completely different — like he had deliberately altered his appearance. Cacconie is now being extradited to California to face sentencing on his original conviction, with additional charges likely for the flight itself. The victim is already updating her impact statement.

The Fallout: California Law May Change Because of This Case

This case has already triggered legislative action. State Senator Shannon Grove has introduced legislation that would strip judges of discretion in cases like this one, requiring anyone convicted of serious crimes against children to be taken into custody immediately following a jury verdict.

As a licensed investigator and former law enforcement officer, I can tell you a high bail amount is not the same as custody, and when someone is convicted on multiple serious counts involving a child, the answer to a bail request should always be no. I will continue following this case through sentencing. Follow Lance The PI News for continued coverage of this story and related developments in Sacramento Neighborhoods News.