A wealthy teenager whose “affluenza” defence kept him out of prison for killing four people in a drink-driving crash has been detained in Mexico weeks after he and his mother disappeared.
Ethan and Tonya Couch were taken into custody in the Pacific Coast resort city of Puerto Vallarta on Monday.
A photo released by Mexican authorities showed that the 18-year-old had dyed his hair dark brown or black.
Couch and his mother are expected to be brought back to the United States in the coming days, officials in Texas said at a news conference on Tuesday.
A warrant was issued for the teen’s arrest earlier this month after he and his mother disappeared in violation of his probation.
Tarrant County District Attorney Sharen Wilson told reporters on Tuesday she will attempt to have Couch’s case moved to adult court, where she will push for him to serve the remainder of his 10-year probation behind bars.
Couch, who turns 19 in April, would face a maximum of four months in prison for violating his probation under juvenile law, she said.
Tonya Couch, 48, will face charges of hindering an apprehension upon her return to Texas, Ms Wilson added.
Couch was 16 when he crashed his pickup into a 24-year-old woman whose vehicle had broken down, killing her and three others who had stopped to help.
His blood-alcohol level was nearly three times the legal limit, prosecutors said.
In a surprise sentence, the teen was given 10 years’ probation after Couch’s lawyers said his wealthy upbringing made him irresponsible.
The leniency shocked many Americans, especially because the teen expressed no remorse and did not spend a single night in jail.
On Tuesday, county sheriff Dee Anderson said investigators believe Couch and his mother planned to flee the US after a video surfaced on social media that appeared to show the teen among a group of young men playing “beer pong”.
The footage was uploaded by a user with the comment: “ya boy ethan couch violating probation. i got more if you want”.
Sheriff Anderson said police were told that Couch and mother hosted what was essentially a “going-away party” before they vanished.
He added that investigators “to this point” do not believe the teen’s father was involved in his son’s flight across the border.