REPORT: ‘Affluenza’ Teen and Mom Detained in Mexico

The young man known as the “affluenza” teen, Ethan Couch, has been detained in Mexico along with his mother. The teen who had been described as too “affluent” to serve prison time for killing four people in a drunk driving crash, fled his probation earlier this month.

Ethan Couch was serving a probation sentence for killing four people in a drunk driving crash, Breitbart Texas’ Merrill Hope reported. Couch’s defense team convinced a Texas court to try the teen as a juvenile and sentence him to 10-years probation only for killing the four people in the crash. He was sixteen at the time of the crash.

Mexican authorities informed CNN that Couch and his mother, who was also reported missing and was suspected to be helping her son escape custody, were found near the Mexican resort town of Puerto Vallarta on the Pacific coast.

Affluenza is defined as “a psychological malaise supposedly affecting wealthy young people, symptoms of which include a lack of motivation, feelings of guilt, and a sense of isolation,” Hope reported earlier this month. It was a condition claimed by Couch’s defense team that resulted in his irresponsible behavior. They claimed his behavior was caused by having wealthy parents who coddled him and hindered his ability to know right from wrong.

Couch and his mother are expected to be turned over to U.S. Marshalls and returned to the United States. If Couch’s probation is revoked, he could face up to ten years in a state prison. His mother could also face criminal charges.

It appears he may have fled following the release of a video on social media. The video showed a person resembling Couch being at a party where alcohol was being served. This could violate his probation if it was proven to be him in the video.