Oklahoma Bail Jumper- Maria Zuniga - Out of compliance with probationary requitements since October 19, 2004

Maria E. Zuniga,

Maria E. Zuniga, a woman once deeply entangled in Oklahoma's drug trade, has lived as a fugitive from the state Department of Corrections for years. Born on August 26, 1968, she is now 57 years old and remains wanted under Oklahoma DOC number 264237.

Her official photograph, taken on March 23, 2000, shows a Hispanic woman standing five feet two inches tall and weighing around 135 pounds with gray hair and striking green eyes. She has also gone by the alias Maria Alvarado.

Zuniga's troubles with the law trace back to the late 1990s when she faced multiple serious drug charges in Oklahoma District Court. In cases 97-1331 and 97-1253, she was convicted of trafficking in illegal drugs, distribution of controlled dangerous substances with intent to distribute, conspiracy to commit drug crimes, and failure to display a tax stamp on CDS. The convictions from March 20, 1998, resulted in lengthy sentences, including several ten-year terms of incarceration that began on May 21, 1998.

She also served shorter parole periods in the early 2000s, but something went wrong along the way. Instead of completing her obligations, she absconded from supervision and has been listed as a fugitive ever since.

Her crimes came during the peak of the national War on Drugs, a time when Oklahoma courts handed down stiff penalties for anyone involved in moving significant quantities of illegal substances. Zuniga's repeated involvement in trafficking and conspiracy suggested she was more than a casual player in that dangerous world.

After years behind bars and on parole, she slipped away from the system, leaving behind an active warrant that still appears on the Oklahoma Department of Corrections fugitive wanted poster.

Today, she would look quite different from the woman in that decades-old photo. At 57, her gray hair has likely turned fully white or been altered, and her overall appearance has changed with age. No recent public sightings or dramatic capture stories have surfaced, meaning she may have spent the last many years living quietly under the radar, possibly using her alias to blend into everyday life.

Maria E. Zuniga committed most of her crimes in Oklahoma County. All the listed convictions, including the major cases 97-1331 and 97-1253, were handled in Oklahoma District Court, which is the District Court located in Oklahoma County (Oklahoma City area).

Zuniga's story is one of many from that intense era of drug enforcement, where long sentences and strict supervision sometimes led people to disappear rather than face the consequences. The Oklahoma City Administrative Supervision Unit still lists her as missing from their oversight, a reminder that some cases from the 1990s continue to linger unresolved in the justice system.

Anyone with information on her whereabouts should contact the Oklahoma Department of Corrections Fugitive Warrants Division at 405-425-2570 or 405-425-2571, or call the toll-free Fugitive Hotline at 866-363-1119. Tips can also be emailed to warrants@doc.ok.gov.

All information is treated as strictly confidential, and callers can remain anonymous.