What started as a local British police case has now turned into an international crime saga.
A British man suspected of one of the UK’s most brutal crimes has finally been caught—but not in the UK, and not for what you might think.
Kevin Wooden, 45, was arrested in the Dominican Republic over the alleged abduction of a child, capping off a years-long search spanning multiple continents.
The Crime That Shocked the UK
Back in March 2019, the UK was rocked by the horrific kidnapping of Tomasz Samel, a Polish national living in Birmingham.
He was abducted by two men impersonating Interpol agents in high-vis vests.
Tomasz was later found 100 miles away in Lancashire with devastating burns covering most of his body.
Despite surviving for three months, he died from his injuries in June of that year.
Police called it one of the worst cases they’d ever encountered.
Kevin Wooden quickly became a suspect. His image was released to the public, and a £10,000 reward was offered for information.
Authorities believed he had fled the country, and efforts to locate him turned international.
Arrested Abroad for a Different Crime
Fast forward to July 2025, and Wooden was finally tracked down—not for Tomasz’s case, but for a separate child abduction investigation.
Dominican Republic authorities arrested him in the capital, Santo Domingo, acting on an international warrant from Mexico.
Wooden was wanted in connection to the disappearance of his daughter, Khadija Alvarez Bonilla, who went missing in 2021 when she was just seven months old.
Her mother, Carolina Alvarez, has been searching for her ever since.
She even launched a public social media campaign and claimed Wooden was a dangerous man with a criminal past.
The Arrest Operation
Authorities in the Dominican Republic confirmed Wooden had been using a false identity—complete with forged Mexican ID documents.
The joint operation that led to his arrest also involved Mexican officials and Interpol agents.
During the raid on a house in the Bella Vista neighborhood, three children were removed from the premises, and another suspect, a 41-year-old Mexican woman, was also taken into custody.
Officials are working on extraditing Wooden to Mexico.
It’s unclear yet if the UK will also push for his return to face justice for the 2019 murder.
The Long Road to Justice
Back in the UK, police and community members have been working tirelessly to bring closure to Tomasz’s case.
After his death, investigators released CCTV footage and made public appeals for any information that could lead to an arrest.
Wooden remained a key figure in the investigation, but no formal charges were brought.
Another suspect in the UK case was arrested in Greece in 2022, yet the full story remained unresolved.
Now, Wooden’s arrest has reignited hope that justice may finally be on the horizon.
What’s Next?
With extradition to Mexico in motion, Wooden could face legal proceedings for the child abduction case first.
Whether the UK will also seek to bring him back for the 2019 Birmingham murder remains uncertain.
For now, both families—the loved ones of Tomasz Samel and the mother of Khadija Alvarez—wait anxiously for answers, hoping that after years of searching and suffering, justice will finally be served.