'Affluenza' Teen Ethan Couch and Mother Tracked to Mexico After Using Cell Phone to Order Domino's Pizza

Ethan Couch and his mother are expected to board a flight back to the U.S. on Wendnesday

Photo: Jalisco St. Prosecutors Office

Authorities say it was a phone call for pizza that led to the capture of so-called ‘affluenza’ teen Ethan Couch and his mother in Mexico on Monday.

The U.S. Marshals Service searched for the pair for weeks after they disappeared amid accusations that Couch violated the terms of his probation. But officials say a phone call from their Mexican condo hideout ended the hunt.

Marshals tracked the two to the Mexican town of Puerto Vallarta after one of their cell phones was used to order Domino’s Pizza to a condo where they were hiding out, KHOU and the Associated Press reports.

Couch, 18, was convicted of killing four people in a 2013 drunk driving crash. The teen was spared jail time after his legal team convinced a court that his sheltered, affluent upbringing left him unable to comprehend his actions.

He and his mother disappeared shortly after a video surfaced that allegedly showed Couch attending a beer pong party – a potential violation of his probation. Officials have said the pair had a “going away party” before fleeing.

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Police say one of the Couches’ phones had been used to order delivery from the pizza joint to a condo in Puerto Vallarta’s old town, the AP reports.

Authorities went to the condo only to find that the pair had already left, moving into an apartment because the complex’s owners were expected to return, according to NBC News. Agents set up a surveillance operation and found Couch and his mother.

The 18-year-old and his mother were being held at an immigration office in Guadalajara and are expected to board a commercial flight to Houston on Wednesday, the AP reports.

Couch’s mother, Tonya, is expected to face a charge of hindering apprehension, a felony under Texas law. If Couch continues in juvenile court, he could face a maximum of four months of confinement for the deadly crash as a result of the probation violation.

Prosecutors will request to transfer Couch’s probation to the adult court, District Attorney Sharen Wilson said at a news conference on Tuesday.