(Council Bluffs) A man is in custody in the Pottawattamie County Jail on Sexual Abuse and Fugitive from Justice charges. The arrest stems from an ongoing suspicious death investigation.
On September 14, 2023, members of the Council Bluffs Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division were granted a search warrant for 609 North 8th Street, Council Bluffs. During the execution of the warrant, investigators located the person of interest, who was previously unidentified. The subject was taken into custody without incident and identified as Jesse William Smith, 49 years old, formerly of Denver. Detectives interviewed Smith and subsequently arrested and lodged at the Pottawattamie County Jail for the charges of Sexual Abuse in the Third Degree and Fugitive from Justice.
Investigators learned that Smith had extraditable arrest warrants from Colorado for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender and a Parole Violation. As of August 92023, Smith was #2 on Colorado’s list of Most Wanted Sex Offenders.
Investigators believe that Smith has been living in the Omaha/Council Bluffs area under an assumed name for several years to evade charges in Colorado. The victim in this case has been identified as Natalia Victoria Manriquez Sepulveda. Natalia, 35, is a native of Chile and was employed as a housekeeper at the Super 8 Motel in Council Bluffs.
The death investigation remains active pending the final results of the autopsy. The Police Department would like to thank the public for the numerous tips submitted during this investigation. The information gathered from the public was instrumental in helping to identify and locate Smith.
