Man arrested after over a decade on the Brazos County Most Wanted list

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - The Brazos County Sheriff’s Office arrested Jose Daniel Zavala-Estrada on November 11, 2025.

Zavala-Estrada, of Bryan, has been on the run for nearly 15 years after he allegedly continuously sexually assaulted a pre-teen between 2009 and 2010. Police say he used several aliases while living in the United States after illegally crossing the border with Mexico.

The incident was first reported to Bryan police by the victim’s mother in August 2010.

Additional details of the case are not being shared in an effort to protect the child’s identity.

The victim then spoke to the Brazos Valley child advocacy center, Scotty’s House, for further interviews and examinations. The information collected in those interviews proved beneficial in capturing the wanted fugitive, who remains in jail on an immigration hold and a bond set at $150,000.

Scotty’s House Executive Director Cary Baker says she can’t speak directly about the case, but that while they’re job is to help families and victims navigate the justice system, helping victims heal is their main goal.

“There are cases from 2010, there are cases from last year, and it takes time for these cases to be investigated. It takes time for suspects to be apprehended,” Baker explained. “Our goal is not necessarily on the justice piece. We’re here to support the child and that family.”

She said their services span from interviews to medical exams and counseling.

“It’s not often that [children] are immediately victimized and then turn around and make a report or tell someone,” Baker stated. “Many times, children come here, and it has been a year, two years since the abuse occurred. We are here to support the child and their family, no matter how long it’s been. There is no statute of limitations regarding child sexual assault.”

She said their services don’t have an end date for victims.

“We’re here to support any child from birth to 17, as long as they need our services and they’ve been a victim of a crime,” Baker said.

Scotty’s House has been around for over 30 years and has helped roughly 14,000 children.

“Our job is to educate and encourage the public, the adults in their lives, that if a child discloses something to you, or if you see something that you think is suspicious, you need to pick up the phone,” Baker emphasized.

Baker said to either call 9-1-1 or report the incidents to the child abuse hotline, which is 1-800-252-5400.

“If a child discloses to an adult, if that child has had the courage to tell that adult what they’ve experienced, then we hope the adult will have the courage to pick up the phone and make the call,” Baker added.