Carlos Meneses Lambis

Authorities believe that he might have been hiding in remote areas of Veraguas and Chiriquí for some time, possibly wearing a fake wig and mustache, and the prize for his arrest has since been raised to $5,000. He has been consistenly ranked among the Top Ten Most Wanted criminals in Panama, and as of December 2022, Meneses remains a fugitive from justice.

On June 7, 2004, the decomposing body of a woman was found under the Bridge of the Americas near Panama City. She was quickly identified as 32-year-old domestic worker Leticia González Gaitán thanks to her employer, a dentist who recognized her porcelain-based dental work. González had gone missing just days prior when she left Panama City to travel to her home province of Veraguas, but never arrived. After interviewing a witness, it was established that González had been picked up by Meneses, who then drove away with her in his car. Due to this, a separate arrest warrant was issued for this murder by another prosecutor, Argentina Barrera Flores.

On May 11, 2003, police officers patrolling the Miraflores lock found the body of 44-year-old prostitute Rafaela Ábrego Sánchez, which had been hidden in some bushes. It was determined that she had been killed with a single stab wound to her leg, which had evidently hit a femoral artery and had caused her to bleed to death. Witness statements from fellow prostitutes said that Meneses - who frequently used their services - had picked up Ábrego in a black 2002 Toyota 4Runner with license plate numbers 280603 and registered in Veraguas Province. After they found the vehicle, investigators requested that DNA testing be conducted in order to conclusively link him to the case, making this the first case in Panama's history in which such testing was used in a homicide investigation.

On August 3, 1995, Meneses stalked a woman he had previously dated to the Club Unión in Panama City. He noticed her and a male member of the club leaving a brothel, after which he followed her to her house and confronted her. He claimed that he had been hired as a private detective to expose her infidelity, threatening to tell her family and friends if she did not have sex with him and pay him $3,000. Frightened, the woman accepted, and only a day later, she went to a vacant house on Vía Tocumen, where Meneses sexually abused her. After this, the victim reported the crime to the police, who instructed her to stage another meeting with him tomorrow, where he was successfully apprehended. While searching through Meneses' car, officers found the clothes he had worn the day he had raped the woman, as well as her underwear.

Carlos Rafael Meneses Lambis (born 1965) is a Panamanian criminal, murderer and accused serial killer. Charged with the murders of two women killed in 2003 and 2004, and suspected in the disappearance of his wife, Meneses has thus far avoided arrest and continues to be on the run. He is one of the country's most sought after fugitives, and a warrant from Interpol has been issued for his arrest.

Little is known about Meneses' early life, aside from the fact that he was born in Panama in 1965. Described as a withdrawn, cold and calculating man who is proficient at analyzing and scamming people, he obtained a bachelor's degree from the José Antonio Remón Cantera College and then enrolled at the University of Panama's Law Faculty.