‘Affluenza’ Teen and his Mother Detained in Mexico, Authorities Say

Ethan Couch, the teenager from Texas who was suffering from so-called 'affluenza' when he killed four people via drunk driving in 2013, and his mother have been detained in Mexico.

Couch and Tonya Couch were captured at 6 p.m. CT on Monday in Puerto Vallarta, the Tarrant County district attorney, Sharen Wilson stated. The mother-and-son duo, who were handed over to Mexican Immigration, will be deported. Couch is expected to be turned over to the U.S. Marshals Service.

"We're working to get him back up here," Dave Oney, a Marshals Service spokesman, told the New York Times. "But we don't know when."

Mexican agents have been working with American authorities to locate Couch and his mother since Saturday, according to Mexico's Jalisco state prosecutors' office. CNN reported that Couch's cell phone use could have given the authorities an idea of their location, which led to the arrest.

The Texas authorities were seeking the pair out after they went missing earlier this month. Couch, who is now 18, had violated the terms of his probation when a video clip of him at a party where there was alcohol surfaced. As a part of his juvenile court sentence, Couch was to serve 10 years of probation, which included a temporary ban on drinking and doing drugs, and to complete one stint of rehab at a treatment center.

Dee Anderson, the Tarrant County Sheriff, stated that Couch most likely fled out of fear of being sentenced to jail. His violation could have led to his probation being revoked. The teen could then be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison.

When Couch failed to meet his probation officer for a Dec. 10 meeting, authorities realized that he was missing and subsequently issued a warrant for his arrest.

Couch's case received widespread attention after his lawyer argued that he suffered from "affluenza," stating that he could not understand the consequences of his actions because his wealthy parents had kept him in a bubble. The lawyer had added that Couch's irresponsibility was due to years of coddling.

Affluenza is not recognized as a mental illness by the American Psychiatric Association.