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Mom of 'Affluenza' Teen Ethan Couch Lands in U.S. from Mexico

The mother of teen U.S. fugitive Ethan Couch has returned to the United States without her son after her deportation from Mexico.
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The mother of U.S. fugitive teen Ethan Couch returned to the United States without her son early Thursday after her deportation from Mexico.

Tonya Couch was in handcuffs in the custody of U.S. Marshals when she was brought through Los Angeles International Airport.

She looked away from cameras as she was taken to an unmarked car and driven away. U.S. Marshals confirmed later Thursday morning that she was in the custody of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Her son remains in Mexico in an immigration facility because a judge issued an injunction temporarily blocking his deportation.

It was not immediately clear why Tonya Couch was brought to Los Angeles instead of Texas, where she and her son live and where he was on probation for a 2013 fatal drunken-driving wreck.

A U.S. Marshals spokesman said he could not reveal any details about her trip through California, citing security concerns in transporting someone in custody.

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

Multiple law enforcement sources told NBC News her immediate future was still figured out, and she may appear before a magistrate in Los Angeles or could be flown quickly back to Dallas to face a magistrate there.

Authorities say 18-year-old Ethan, who used "affluenza" as a defense over the crash, fled with his mother to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, as prosecutors investigated whether he had violated his probation. Both were detained Monday.

Sources in Mexico told NBC News that he was flown from Guadalajara to Mexico City overnight, where he was expected to be transported to an immigration center until his case is resolved.