PERRYSBURG, Ohio – Shocking details have emerged about 24-year-old Anthony Emmanuel Labrador-Sierra, an immigrant who posed as a 16-year-old high school student for over a year.
Labrador-Sierra lived with Kathy and Brad Mefferd, a couple in their 60s, in Perrysburg, Ohio, and enrolled at Perrysburg High School, where he played soccer and joined the swim team. He claimed to be a human trafficking victim. Authorities discovered his deception after seeing a fake birth certificate he had created.
His ex-fiancee, Evelyn Camacho, 22, with whom he shares a daughter, became suspicious and contacted the Mefferds. “I was questioning what the truth was,” Camacho said. “Did he lie to me about being an adult? Or did he lie to them about being a child? I didn’t know what was going on. And I care about him. He’s the father of my daughter.”
After being tipped off, the Mefferds called police. Officers found a burner cellphone, fake ID, a semiautomatic pistol, and three loaded 9mm magazines at the home. Labrador-Sierra has since pleaded guilty to lying on immigration forms and a firearm application, leading to his transfer to ICE custody and facing decades in prison.
Camacho said she does not know why he impersonated a teenager. “Probably only he knows why he did it. And maybe, not even him, to be honest. Anthony is impulsive,” she said.
The scheme shocked the local community. A parent at Perrysburg High School said, “People were shocked for sure. We live in an area that is somewhat conservative. There were some who were, like, ‘Holy moley. How did he get past [school officials]?’”
Perrysburg High School confirmed they followed federal law in enrolling him. “Schools are required to immediately enroll unaccompanied minors without requiring standard enrollment paperwork. While we were not required to, the school district did also obtain a birth certificate,” the school said.
According to the Perrysburg Police Division, Labrador-Sierra first met with school officials in January 2024, showing them his fake birth certificate and claiming to be a human trafficking victim. He moved in with the Mefferds, who gained guardianship in November 2024.
Camacho expressed frustration over the situation. “A thing that makes me really upset is that I was struggling so much to raise our daughter and he was living the life of a teenager with no responsibilities. He was being taken care of while I was trying to take care of our daughter.”
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