The case of Carl Cacconie began with a high-profile trial in El Dorado County, where the 51-year-old was accused of multiple counts of child sexual abuse dating back to 2014 and 2015. During the two-week trial in South Lake Tahoe, a jury heard harrowing testimony from a primary victim who was 11 at the time of the abuse, as well as a second woman who described being molested by Cacconie in the early 2000s. On July 17, 2025, the jury found Cacconie guilty on six felony counts of lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 14. Following the verdict, Judge Michael J. McLaughlin found aggravating factors—including the vulnerability of the victim and the callousness of the crimes—which increased Cacconie’s potential sentence to 18 years in prison.
Despite the conviction and the severity of the charges, Judge McLaughlin made the controversial decision to allow Cacconie to remain free on $1 million bail until his sentencing date, overriding vigorous objections from the District Attorney’s office. Cacconie was released with a GPS ankle monitor and was instructed to return to court for sentencing on August 25, 2025. However, investigators later discovered that his ankle monitor lost its connection on August 17, 2025, while last tracked to the Sunset District of San Francisco. Although Cacconie claimed to be “charging the anklet” when contacted by probation officials on August 19, he subsequently disappeared and failed to appear for his sentencing hearing.
On the day he was scheduled to be sentenced, Cacconie’s family reported him missing to San Francisco police, claiming he had left a suicide note. While his defense attorney has suggested Cacconie may be dead, the El Dorado County District Attorney remains confident that he is still alive and actively evading capture as a fugitive from justice. The decision to grant him bail has drawn widespread condemnation from the victim’s family and legal experts, who argue it provided a dangerous predator the opportunity to escape accountability. As of early 2026, an active bench warrant remains for his arrest, and authorities continue to urge the public to report any sightings of him to 911.