Over 530 Wanted Individuals Since 1950
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigations, as of November 15, 2023, there have been 532 fugitives on the “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” list. Four hundred and ninety four individuals appearing on the list have been located, 163 of them as a direct result of citizen cooperation.
J. Edgar Hoover and How it all Began
The FBI’s Top 10 Most Wanted list was initiated in 1950 as a way to publicize the most dangerous fugitives wanted by the FBI. The idea is attributed to J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI Director at the time, and William Kinsey Hutchinson, a journalist and editor-in-chief of the International News Service.
The two men were playing cards when a conversation began in regards to compiling a list of the “toughest guys” that the FBI was pursuing. After the list was published in newspapers across the country the public responded so well that the list quickly became an effective tool for enlisting the help of citizens in capturing fugitives.
The First
Thomas James Holden earned his spot due to his extensive criminal history and his involvement in a particularly heinous crime. Holden was already a well-known criminal with a lengthy record, including charges of bank robbery and other violent crimes. In 1949 Holden murdered of his wife, her brother, and her stepbrother in Chicago.
Due to his dangerous nature and the seriousness of his crimes, the FBI wanted to capture Holden quickly. His inclusion on the newly created Top 10 Most Wanted list was intended to generate public awareness and assistance in apprehending him. Holden was eventually captured on June 23, 1951, in Beaverton, Oregon, thanks to a tip from a citizen who recognized him from a newspaper article.
The Longest
Víctor Manuel Gerena was placed on the FBI’s Top 10 Most Wanted list due to his involvement in one of the largest cash heists in U.S. history. Gerena was a security guard for the Wells Fargo armored car depot in West Hartford, Connecticut.
On September 12th, 1983, Gerena took two of his fellow employees hostage at gunpoint, handcuffed them, and injected them with an unknown substance to incapacitate them. He then proceeded to steal approximately $7 million from the depot and fled the scene.
Due to the severity of the crime, the substantial amount of money stolen, and his ability to evade capture, Gerena was added to the FBI’s Top 10 Most Wanted list on May 14, 1984. Despite various leads and sightings over the years, he remained a fugitive for an extended period, making him the longest-tenured individuals on the list. Gerena was removed from the list in December of 2016, and his whereabouts remain unknown.
The Shortest
Billie Austin Bryant was added to the FBI’s Top 10 Most Wanted list on January 8, 1969, for the murder of two FBI agents. The agents were killed during an attempt to arrest Bryant for robbery in Washington, D.C. His addition to the list followed the high-profile nature of the crime and the urgent need to apprehend him.
After being placed on the list, Bryant was apprehended just two hours later. The widespread dissemination of information led to a woman hearing someone hiding in her attic and believing it to be him based on the area.
The Oldest
Eugene Palmer was added to the FBI’s Top 10 Most Wanted list after he murdered his daughter-in-law, Tammy Palmer, in Stony Point, New York, on September 24th, 2012.
On the morning of September 24th Eugene shot Tammy multiple times with a shotgun as she walked her children to the school bus stop near their home. After the shooting, Palmer fled into the wooded area of Harriman State Park. Despite an extensive search by law enforcement, he managed to evade capture.
Palmer was placed on the FBI’s Top 10 Most Wanted list on May 29th, 2019. The FBI offered a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to his arrest.
As of now, Eugene Palmer has not been captured. Despite various tips and reported sightings over the years, his exact whereabouts remain unknown. The case is still open but he’s been removed from the Top 10. Law enforcement continues to seek information to locate and apprehend him.
The Youngest
Alejandro Rosales Castillo was added to the FBI’s Top 10 Most Wanted list on October 24, 2017, due to his involvement in a murder case. Castillo is wanted for the murder of Truc Quan “Sandy” Ly Le, who was his co-worker and former girlfriend.
Castillo and his girlfriend lured Le under the pretense of repaying the debt. On August 9th Le was found shot in the head in a wooded area in Cabarrus County, North Carolina. After the murder, Castillo and his girlfriend fled North Carolina. They abandoned Le’s car in Phoenix, Arizona.
Castillo was seen crossing the border into Mexico. Castillo’s girlfriend was later apprehended in Mexico and extradited to the United States.
A reward of up to $100,000 is offered for information leading to his arrest. As of now, Alejandro Rosales Castillo remains on the FBI’s Top 10 Most Wanted list. He continues to be sought by law enforcement authorities.
The First Lady
Ruth Eisemann-Schier became the first woman to be placed on the FBI’s Top 10 Most Wanted list due to her involvement in a notorious kidnapping case. On December 17th, 1968, Eisemann-Schier and her accomplice, Gary Steven Krist, kidnapped Barbara Jane Mackle, a 20-year-old Emory University student, in Decatur, Georgia. Posing as police officers, they abducted Mackle from her hotel room, where she was staying with her mother.
Mackle was placed in a wooden box, equipped with a small amount of food, water, and air tubes, and buried alive in a remote area near Duluth, Georgia. The kidnappers demanded a ransom of $500,000 from Mackle’s wealthy father. After the ransom was paid, the FBI launched an intensive search and found Mackle alive on December 20, 1968, after she had spent more than three days underground.
Gary Krist was captured shortly after the ransom collection, but Eisemann-Schier managed to evade capture, leading to her placement on the FBI’s Top 10 Most Wanted list on December 28, 1968. She was eventually apprehended on March 5, 1969, in Norman, Oklahoma, after a tip led the FBI to her location.
Two-Timer
Ernest Tait, also known as “Ernie,” earned the distinction of being placed on the FBI’s Top 10 Most Wanted list twice. Tait first appeared on the list in 1951 after escaping from a Michigan prison, where he was serving a sentence for robbery. During his escape, he was involved in several bank robberies across the Midwest, making him a high-priority fugitive.
He was captured later that year but managed to escape again in 1952. He continued his spree of robberies and violent crimes, further cementing his status as a dangerous criminal. His second inclusion on the list brought significant media attention and a nationwide manhunt. He was eventually recaptured in 1953, ending his reign of terror.
The Assassin
James Earl Ray, the infamous assassin of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted List twice due to his initial crime and subsequent prison escape.
Ray first made the list following the assassination of Dr. King on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. After the murder, Ray fled the country, prompting a massive international manhunt. He was captured on June 8, 1968, at London’s Heathrow Airport. After being extradited to the United States he was convicted and sentenced to 99 years in prison.
In 1977, Ray managed to escape from the Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary in Tennessee, leading to his second appearance on the FBI’s Most Wanted List. His escape triggered another intense search, culminating in his recapture three days later.
The Serial Killer
Ted Bundy was placed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list on April 15, 1978. At that time, he was already known as a notorious serial killer who had committed numerous murders across several states, including Washington, Oregon, Utah, and Colorado.
Bundy’s listing on the FBI’s most wanted list came after he escaped from custody twice in 1977. His first escape occurred from a courthouse in Aspen, Colorado, where he was being held for trial. He was recaptured but managed to escape again in December 1977. During this second escape, he had fled to the Midwest, committing additional crimes before eventually being captured in Florida in February 1978.
His presence on the FBI’s list played a significant role in his capture, as it heightened public awareness and led to increased tips and leads that ultimately helped law enforcement locate him. Bundy was convicted of numerous crimes and sentenced to death. He was executed in the electric chair at Florida State Prison on January 24, 1989.
The Mob Boss
James “Whitey” Bulger, a notorious mobster and fugitive, was on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list for 12 years, from 1999 to 2011. Bulger led the Winter Hill Gang in Boston and was wanted for a variety of crimes, including racketeering, murder, and conspiracy.
Bulger used several aliases and had multiple ways of disguising his identity. He was also rumored to have received help from associates who aided in his evasion. For years, he was reportedly protected by corrupt FBI agents who were bribed to provide him with information about investigations and raids.
Bulger remained on the run by frequently moving between locations, both within the United States and internationally. He was eventually found in Santa Monica, California, in 2011.
Convicted on multiple charges, including 11 murders, Bulger was sentenced to life in prison. He was killed by fellow inmates at a federal prison in West Virginia in October 2018.
The Mass Murderer
Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list shortly after the attacks. As a result of his role as the leader of al-Qaeda and having previously been linked to attacks on U.S. embassies in Africa in 1998 and the bombing of the USS Cole in 2000, he’d been on their radar for years.
His evasion of capture and continued plotting while in hiding only heightened his profile as a top priority for U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies. Bin Laden remained on the list until his death on May 2nd, 2011, when he was killed by Navy SEALs during a raid on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
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