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'Affluenza' Teen's Mom Deported From Mexico

The deadly drunken driving case evoked outrage after Ethan Couch's attorneys argued he suffered from "affluenza" and couldn't tell right from wrong.
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The mother of “affluenza” teen Ethan Couch was deported from Mexico Wednesday and was headed to the U.S., a law enforcement source confirmed.

Tonya Couch was on a plane bound for Los Angeles International Airport, a law enforcement source close to the investigation told NBC News. The Associated Press first reported that she was sent from Mexico to the U.S.

Couch and her fugitive son, 18-year-old Ethan Couch, were apprehended Monday in the resort town of Puerto Vallarta.

Related: Cops Chasing 'Affluenza' Teen Got Break On Christmas Eve

Both were being sought after they allegedly fled Texas earlier this month, where Ethan Couch is on probation following his conviction in a deadly 2013 drunken driving crash.

Ethan Couch’s attorneys argued the teen suffered from "affluenza" and his coddled upbringing meant he couldn’t distinguish right from wrong, and a judge sentenced him to treatment and 10 years’ probation instead of jail.

Ethan Couch, left, is pictured in this undated handout photo on December 29, 2015 by the Jalisco state prosecutor office, Mexico. Tonya Couch, right, is seen in an undated handout picture released by the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office in Fort Worth, Texas.
Ethan Couch, left, is pictured in this undated handout photo on December 29, 2015 by the Jalisco state prosecutor office, Mexico. Tonya Couch, right, is seen in an undated handout picture released by the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office in Fort Worth, Texas.Reuters

Authorities had been searching for Ethan Couch after he missed an appointment with his probation officer earlier this month.

Tarrant County, Texas, Sheriff Dee Anderson has said he believes the pair fled after video surfaced online which appeared to show Ethan Couch at a party where drinking appears to have been going on. Alcohol use would violate his probation.

Tonya Couch, 48, faces charges of hindering apprehension, Anderson said.

Couch already has a Jan. 19 date in juvenile court at which time prosecutors will ask that his case be transferred to adult court. If the judge denies that, Couch will be jailed in a juvenile facility for four months until April 11 when he turns 19.

Ethan Couch remains detained in Mexico. His attorneys requested what is Mexico known as an "amparo" to avoid extradition, which typically take weeks to resolve, Richard Hunter, Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Texas, told reporters Wednesday.