http://news.yahoo.com/long-sought-diplomat-added-to-fbis-most-wanted-152531275.html

LONG SOUGHT DIPLOMAT ADDED TO FBI MOST WANTED


Washington (AP)- A diplomat suspected of killing his wife, mother and three sons in 1976 was added to the FBI's list of "Ten Most Wanted Fugitives" on Thursday, brining new attention to case that has long frustrated authorities.

William Bradford "Brad" Bishop Jr., a State Department employee at the time, allegedly bludgeoned his family to death in their home in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, and then drove to a wooded area in North Carolina, where authorities say he dumped their bodies in a shallow grave and then burned them.

The victim's bodies weren't identified until a week later, giving Bishop ample time to plot an escape.

Investigators have said it's possible that Bishop, who would now be 77 years old, fled to Europe and is living there under a false name. A Yale graduate who later earned a master's degree in Italian, he is fluent in five languages.

There hasn't been a confirmed sighting of Bishop since 1976 in, Jacksonville, N.C., although three people who knew him have reported spotting him in Europe over the years, most recently in 1994.

"Brad, you've been living with this on your conscience for the past 38 years," Montgomery County, Md., Sheriff Darren Pompkin said. "I am the voice of your family who can no longer speak". The time is now to contact law enforcement".

You just gave me the shock of my life when I read, "Breaking News: William Bradford Bishop..." only to be disappointed with the rest of the title. I got really excited for a microsecond.

I'm not sure why the FBI waited 38 years to add him to the top ten most wanted list. What he did to his family was no less horrifying in 1976 than it is today.

You just gave me the shock of my life when I read, "Breaking News: William Bradford Bishop..." only to be disappointed with the rest of the title. I got really excited for a microsecond.

I'm not sure why the FBI waited 38 years to add him to the top ten most wanted list. What he did to his family was no less horrifying in 1976 than it is today.
Same here. I was really hoping today would be the day he got caught. But I am really happy that they're not giving up on catching him. The fact that it's being kept as a top priority to get him and not swept under the rug as a cold case with no hope is encouraging. Hopefully someone will come forward with what they know. I doubt he would ever turn himself in if he is out there.

It also seems odd to me that they waited so long to put him on the list. But better late than never.

It worked for Whitey Bulger... Just saying. :)

Bishop was on the FBI's top ten list for some time in the past, wasn't he? Why would they decide to bring this case back into the spotlight? Perhaps there's something afoot.

There's nothing to suggest he's dead yet, but a lot of those who had known him, or had possibly accompanied his escape are long gone. So even if they do find him alive, we may never know the whole story behind his crime.

Personally, I've always believed that he was dead. Most likely a suicide, IMO. I saw this on my local news station this morning at the gym, and they showed some pictures of the crime scene not used on UM. They also had a sculpted head of what Bishop would look like today.

I remember seeing this case on Nightline or 20/20 back in the mid 90's. Personally this case always disturbed me as to how a diplomat to the state department with an international passport could move around in Europe during the Cold War. My gut tells me this whole story is part of a larger story and that's why Bishop has either gone undetected or why federal law enforcement agencies don't pay a lot of attention to the case. Either way, I don't think he's dead. During his tenure traveling internationally he would have confided in someone or had been in contact with someone he knew. This whole case and story is bizarre.

It worked for Whitey Bulger... Just saying. :)

Yes , I like your optimism ! :)

. Personally this case always disturbed me as to how a diplomat to the state department with an international passport could move around in Europe during the Cold War.


Its amazing how easy it was to travel internationally during the Cold War era compared tp today and how you didnt need visas or stuff to enter most countries. Having read some true spy stories and stories about drug smugglers it was so easy to obtain and use fake ID`s back then especially when you consider that there were tonnes of books on faking new identities and the loophole that criminals used was known to law enforcement for decades yet they only closed it down after 911 :shocked

Given what the profile of Brad says on the FBI`s website I am not surprised he disappeared easily ....especially if you consider that he had a head start of more than 2 weeks :eek:


Either way, I don't think he's dead. During his tenure traveling internationally he would have confided in someone or had been in contact with someone he knew. This whole case and story is bizarre.

I have a nagging feeling he is alive , the guy was smart which partially explains why he hasnt been found in all this time unlike most criminals who make truly attrocious fugitives :lol:

Its amazing how easy it was to travel internationally during the Cold War era compared tp today and how you didnt need visas or stuff to enter most countries. Having read some true spy stories and stories about drug smugglers it was so easy to obtain and use fake ID`s back then especially when you consider that there were tonnes of books on faking new identities and the loophole that criminals used was known to law enforcement for decades yet they only closed it down after 911 :shocked

Given what the profile of Brad says on the FBI`s website I am not surprised he disappeared easily ....especially if you consider that he had a head start of more than 2 weeks :eek:




I have a nagging feeling he is alive , the guy was smart which partially explains why he hasnt been found in all this time unlike most criminals who make truly attrocious fugitives :lol:

I can imagine an everyday citizen traveling through Europe having no problem at all. A US diplomat on the other hand I feel would run into quite a few problems traveling. I wouldn't be shocked if Bishop had used his international contacts to hide him or used favors to gain access into countries harder to get into. I still personally feel like what he did to his family is only part of the story and that underneath it all there is a much larger story.

Agreed. It's hard to imagine he'd be on the run and not once confide in someone what he really did and who he was.

I think if you take away the sighting of Bishop by his coworker in Europe, everyone would believe that he was most likely deceased. Was the sighting in Europe verified, or did his friend just believe it was Bishop?

I think if you take away the sighting of Bishop by his coworker in Europe, everyone would believe that he was most likely deceased. Was the sighting in Europe verified, or did his friend just believe it was Bishop?
It was never verified, the friend was just adamant that it was him. There were two other unverified sightings of him in Europe, one of them at a train station. A woman who knew Bishop claimed she saw him in 1994 on a train in Switzerland staring at her husband, who looked pretty much the same as he did around the time of the murders; they had played tennis together. The husband also believes it was Bishop they saw. Apparently, he held his hands up in a childish "you got me" gesture. Here's a snippet from the book "Not Wanted" that describes the encounter.
http://books.google.co.jp/books?id=oVhu6JwXwdEC&pg=PT89&lpg=PT89&dq=brad+bishop+train&source=bl&ots=QUDSIpu0oa&sig=8Sl9uhJ-HoEWmQ0s-Kkv5YylsZ4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ySRNU4_XFMLi8AX5n4GgDQ&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=brad%20bishop%20train&f=false

Interestingly, the wikipedia article (great source, I know,but it cites the AMW episode) claims that authorities believe he's living in Sorrento, Italy as of 2010. I wonder why they feel so strongly about that, if it is indeed true.

I think he is deceased but I also think law enforcement was sloppy in their approach to trying to catch him. Time is the winner all the time...

I'm not sure why the FBI waited 38 years to add him to the top ten most wanted list. What he did to his family was no less horrifying in 1976 than it is today.


Maybe they have new information they haven't released yet?
:confused:

Maybe they have new information they haven't released yet?
:confused:

I believe there was information that they received (that they believed to be true, not just another rumor) that Bishop was alive and living in Italy as of 2010.

Really surprising news to hear. They didn't add him for the hell of it. There has to be some substantial information they have on him to add him at this point. Keep in mind, they took off Donald Eugene Webb sometime ago because they believed he was dead. There was no information on his existence.

My guess is they have a general idea of where he is and because of his advanced age, he maybe experiencing health problems and could be in the care of doctors. Assuming he lived off the grid as a recluse for 40 years, it's possible he's spending time with other people on a consistent basis that could identify him.

Maybe they have new information they haven't released yet?
:confused:

I'm thinking that's the case. There are two short news segments on the forbidden site that were posted this week. In regards to why this case is getting so much publicity lately and why Bishop was added to the FBI's ten most wanted list, Mongomery County Police say the reason is because they have absolutely no evidence that he is dead. I'm thinking they must know something more that they're not saying because you could have used that argument long ago.

They also wanted the public to know some aspects of Bishop's personality...

1. He is extremely arrogant.
2. He acts extraordinarily odd to every day situations.
3. He is most likely still wearing his class ring from Yale.

They also mentioned they believe that he has another family and he might be living in the U.S.

Again, how and why they think these things is unknown. There must be some info that they are intentionally keeping from the public for now. But they are going to a lot of trouble to get this case some publicity. They have even made a life sized sculpter of what he would look like today.

Really surprising news to hear. They didn't add him for the hell of it. There has to be some substantial information they have on him to add him at this point. Keep in mind, they took off Donald Eugene Webb sometime ago because they believed he was dead. There was no information on his existence.

My guess is they have a general idea of where he is and because of his advanced age, he maybe experiencing health problems and could be in the care of doctors. Assuming he lived off the grid as a recluse for 40 years, it's possible he's spending time with other people on a consistent basis that could identify him.


There is a whole long drawn out process associated with adding and removing people from the 10 most wanted list....... which is why Bin Laden remained on the list for some time even after he was shot .

Its interesting that you speculate about the FBI having an idea about his whereabouts because I came across this news story , it has some interesting details :)

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=9509209

Interesting. I thought he committed suicide but maybe he is alive.

Here's another thought:

What would happen, assuming he's still alive, if someone suspected that their neighbor or a resident hiker might be him?

This is why I don't think Bishop would've ever re-married, or even stayed in the United States. Unlike John List, It would seem Bishop wouldn't be willing to concede if he DOES get caught. Even the first person who might suspect something might be in danger of another violent outburst, if Bishop made the mistake of getting too close with his friends/neighbors.

Here's another thought:

What would happen, assuming he's still alive, if someone suspected that their neighbor or a resident hiker might be him?

This is why I don't think Bishop would've ever re-married, or even stayed in the United States. Unlike John List, It would seem Bishop wouldn't be willing to concede if he DOES get caught. Even the first person who might suspect something might be in danger of another violent outburst, if Bishop made the mistake of getting too close with his friends/neighbors.
Good point someone mentioned the bulger case. Who knows he managed to evade authorities in spite of his popularity. William b bishop could have gotten away with it. I think for him to be on the FBI top 10 there must be something to it.