FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives by year, 1968
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
FBI, under Director J. Edgar Hoover
J. Edgar Hoover
John Edgar Hoover was the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation of the United States. Appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation—predecessor to the FBI—in 1924, he was instrumental in founding the FBI in 1935, where he remained director until his death in 1972...
, continued for a nineteenth year to maintain a public list of the people it regarded as the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
The FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list arose from a conversation held in late 1949 between J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, and William Kinsey Hutchinson, International News Service Editor-in-Chief, who were discussing ways to promote capture of the...
.
The FBI began the year 1968 with almost a clean slate for the top Ten list, as only one Top Tenner Fugitive on the list was a true multi-year long-timer still at large. The remaining nine Fugitives on the list were all from the prior year:
- 1965 #203 (three years), John William Clouser remained still at large
- 1967 #243 (one year), Monroe Hickson declared deceased by January 30, 1968
- 1967 #246 (one year), Gordon Dale Ervin remained still at large
- 1967 #250 (one year), Carmen Raymond Gagliardi arrested December 23, 1968
- 1967 #256 (five months), Jerry Ray James arrested January 24, 1968
- 1967 #257 (four months), Richard Paul Anderson arrested January 19, 1968
- 1967 #258 (four months), Henry Theodore Young arrested January 9, 1968
- 1967 #259 (five months), Donald Eugene Sparks arrested January 24, 1968
- 1967 #260 (one month), Zelma Lavone King arrested January 30, 1968
- 1967 #261 (three months), Jerry Reece Peacock arrested March 5, 1968
Even then, the FBI managed to clear most of this list through arrests very early in the year, and so by year end, the FBI had amazingly listed an additional thirty-two new Fugitives in 1968, by far surpassing the long-standing previous record of twenty-four additions from 1953
FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives by year, 1953
In 1953, the United States FBI, under Director J. Edgar Hoover, continued for a fourth year to maintain a public list of the people it regarded as the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives....
. The huge number of new listings in 1968 capped a decade-long streak of double-digit additions to the list, and really ended the era of frequent listings and quick captures by the FBI.
1968 also brought the first woman to the list, Ruth Eisemann-Schier
Ruth Eisemann-Schier
Ruth Eisemann Schier is best known as the first woman to appear on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list.Schier was added to the list in 1968, for participating in the kidnapping-for-ransom of land heiress Barbara Jane Mackle in a plan concocted by her boyfriend, Gary Steven Krist...
, at the end of the year. 1968 also saw the second and third "Special
Additions," to the list (temporarily bringing the total wanted Fugitive count to eleven). One was Schier's partner, Gary Steven Krist, and the other was James Earl Ray, the infamous fugitive assassin of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
1968 fugitives
The Ten Most Wanted Fugitives listed by the FBI in 1968 include (in FBI list appearance sequence order):Ronald Eugene Storck
January 19, 1968 #262One month on the list
Ronald Eugene Storck - U.S. prisoner arrested February 29, 1968 in Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
.
Robert Leon McCain
January 31, 1968 #263Three weeks on the list
Robert Leon McCain - U.S. prisoner arrested February 23, 1968 in Gulfport, Florida
Gulfport, Florida
Gulfport is a city in Pinellas County, Florida and a suburb of St. Petersburg. The population of Gulfport was 12,527 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau was 12,740. Gulfport is part of the Tampa-St...
by local police. A police sergeant who had recently finished a training course at the FBI Academy
FBI Academy
The FBI Academy, located in Quantico, Virginia, is the training site for new Special Agents of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was first opened for use in 1972 on 385 acres of woodland. It is a relatively small government academy, housing three dormitory buildings and...
in Quantico, Virginia
Quantico, Virginia
- Demographics :As of the census of 2000, there are 561 people, 295 households, and 107 families living in the town. The population density is . There are 359 housing units at an average density of .-Racial composition:...
recognized McCain from the "Top Ten" flyers displayed there.
William Garrin Allen II
February 9, 1968 #264One month on the list
William Garrin Allen II - U.S. prisoner arrested March 23, 1968 in Brooklyn, New York.
Charles Lee Herron
February 9, 1968 #265Eighteen years on the list; by 1982, he had surpassed the previous record of fourteen years set back in 1964
Charles Lee Herron - U.S. prisoner arrested June 18, 1986 in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
.
Leonard Daniel Spears
February 13, 1968 #266Two weeks on the list
Leonard Daniel Spears - U.S. prisoner arrested March 2, 1968 in Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
.
William Howard Bornman
February 13, 1968 #267One day on the list
William Howard Bornman - U.S. prisoner arrested February 13, 1968 in Covington, Kentucky
Covington, Kentucky
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 43,370 people, 18,257 households, and 10,132 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,301.3 people per square mile . There were 20,448 housing units at an average density of 1,556.5 per square mile...
.
John Conway Patterson
February 26, 1968 #268Three weeks on the list
John Conway Patterson - U.S. prisoner arrested March 17, 1968 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
by local police and his identity confirmed by fingerprints.
Troy Denver Martin
March 9, 1968 #269One week on the list
Troy Denver Martin - U.S. prisoner arrested March 19, 1968 in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
after an employment agency manager recognized him from his Identification Order.
George Benjamin Williams
March 18, 1968 #270Two months on the list
George Benjamin Williams - found murdered May 26, 1968, his skeletal remains found by prospectors near a mine in Nevada, with three bullet holes in his skull. Williams had been dead for six months.
Michael John Sanders
March 21, 1968 #271Two weeks on the list
Michael John Sanders - U.S. prisoner arrested April 8, 1968 in New York City.
Howard Callens Johnson
March 21, 1968 #272One month on the list
Howard Callens Johnson - U.S. prisoner arrested April 24, 1968 in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
after a citizen recognized him
from a wanted poster.
George Edward Wells
March 28, 1968 #273One year on the list
George Edward Wells - U.S. prisoner arrested May 27, 1969 outside a motel in South Point, Ohio
South Point, Ohio
South Point is a village in Lawrence County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 3,742 at the 2000 census.South Point is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 288,649.The village mayor...
by FBI Agents.
David Evans
April 3, 1968 #274One month on the list
David Evans (fugitive) - U.S. prisoner arrested April 26, 1968 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
after being shot twice by local police as they responded to a burglar alarm at a doctor's home.
Franklin Allen Paris
April 9, 1968 #275One month on the list
Franklin Allen Paris - U.S. prisoner arrested May 21, 1968 in Lakehead, California
Lakehead, California
Lakehead is a census-designated place in Shasta County, California. Lakehead sits at an elevation of . The 2010 United States census reported Lakehead's population was 461....
.
David Stuart Neff
April 18, 1968 #276One week on the list
David Stuart Neff - U.S. prisoner arrested April 25, 1968 in Brooklyn, New York.
James Earl Ray
April 20, 1968 #277, & also June 11, 1977 #351Two months on the list, the second "Special Addition"
James Earl Ray
James Earl Ray
James Earl Ray was an American criminal convicted of the assassination of civil rights and anti-war activist Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr....
- deceased in prison; was a U.S. prisoner, and a British prisoner, apprehended June 8, 1968 in London, England by British authorities for the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
John Wesley Shannon, Jr.
May 7, 1968 #278One month on the list
John Wesley Shannon, Jr. - U.S. prisoner arrested June 5, 1968 in Camden, New Jersey
Camden, New Jersey
The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...
FBI Agents and local police.
Taylor Morris Teaford
May 10, 1968 #279Four years on the list
Taylor Morris Teaford - PROCESS DISMISSED May 24, 1972 in Fresno, California
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
.
Phillip Morris Jones
June 5, 1968 #280Three weeks on the list
Phillip Morris Jones - U.S. prisoner surrendered June 26, 1968 at the FBI office in San Mateo, California
San Mateo, California
San Mateo is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area. With a population of approximately 100,000 , it is one of the larger suburbs on the San Francisco Peninsula, located between Burlingame to the north, Foster City to the east, Belmont to the south,...
after seeing wanted poster in a local post office. At the time of his
arrest, he had a fully loaded automatic pistol in his possession.
Johnny Ray Smith
June 20, 1968 #281Four days on the list
Johnny Ray Smith - U.S. prisoner arrested June 24, 1968 in Ocean Springs, Mississippi
Ocean Springs, Mississippi
Ocean Springs is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States, about east of Biloxi. It is part of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 17,225 at the 2000 census...
after a citizen recognized him
from a newspaper article.
Byron James Rice
July 5, 1968 #282Four years on the list
Byron James Rice - U.S. prisoner surrendered October 2, 1972 to the Chicago FBI Field Office following intensive FBI investigative pressure on his acquaintances.
Robert Leroy Lindblad
July 11, 1968 #283Three months on the list
Robert Leroy Lindblad - U.S. prisoner surrendered October 7, 1968 to the District Attorney of Lyon County, Nevada
Lyon County, Nevada
Lyon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2010 census, the population was 51,980. Its county seat is Yerington.-History:...
in
Yerington, Nevada
Yerington, Nevada
Yerington is a city in Lyon County, located in western Nevada, USA. The population was 2,883 at the 2000 census. It is named after Henry M. Yerington, Superintendent of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad from 1868 to 1910. It is the county seat of Lyon County....
.
James Joseph Scully
July 15, 1968 #284One week on the list
James Joseph Scully - U.S. prisoner arrested July 23, 1968 in Arcadia, California
Arcadia, California
Arcadia is an affluent city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and located approximately northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains....
by FBI Agents and local police.
Billy Ray White
August 13, 1968 #285Four days on the list
Billy Ray White - U.S. prisoner arrested August 17, 1968
White was arrested after a citizen recognized him from an article in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat
St. Louis Globe-Democrat
The St. Louis Globe-Democrat was originally a daily print newspaper based in St. Louis, Missouri from 1852 until 1986...
newspaper.
Frederick Rudolph Yokom
August 29, 1968 #286One week on the list
Frederick Rudolph Yokom - U.S. prisoner arrested September 17, 1968 in Wood River, Illinois
Wood River, Illinois
Wood River is a city in Madison County, Illinois, United States. The population was 11,296 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Wood River is located at ....
after a citizen recognized him.
Harold James Evans
September 19, 1968 #287Four months on the list
Harold James Evans - U.S. prisoner arrested January 2, 1969 in Chicago, Illinois.
Robert Lee Carr
October 18, 1968 #288Three weeks on the list
Robert Lee Carr - U.S. prisoner arrested November 4, 1968 in South Gate, California
South Gate, California
South Gate is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The sixteenth largest city in Los Angeles County, it encompasses . South Gate is located just southeast of downtown Los Angeles It is part of the Gateway Cities region of southeastern Los Angeles County...
after a citizen recognized him from
a wanted flyer.
Levi Washington
November 15, 1968 #289Three weeks on the list
Levi Washington - U.S. prisoner arrested December 5, 1968 in Jackson, Michigan
Jackson, Michigan
Jackson is a city located along Interstate 94 in the south central area of the U.S. state of Michigan, about west of Ann Arbor and south of Lansing. It is the county seat of Jackson County. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 33,534...
for a local bank robbery. A fingerprint comparison revealed his true identity.
Richard Lee Tingler
May 19, 1968 #290Five months on the list
Richard Lee Tingler - U.S. prisoner arrested May 19, 1968 in Washita County, Oklahoma by local police.
George Michael Gentile
June 18, 1968 #291Six months on the list
George Michael Gentile - U.S. prisoner arrested December 17, 1968 in New York City by local police.
Gary Steven Krist
December 20, 1968 #292Two days on the list, third "Special Addition" ever added to the list
Gary Steven Krist - U.S. prisoner arrested December 22, 1968 in Punta Gorda, Florida
Punta Gorda, Florida
Punta Gorda is a city in Charlotte County, Florida, United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau estimates of 2007, the city had a population of 16,762. It is the county seat of Charlotte County and the only incorporated municipality in the county...
by FBI and local police. Krist and his partner, Ruth Eisemann Schier (Fugitive #293) were later indicted on Georgia state charges of kidnapping with ransom.
Ruth Eisemann-Schier
December 28, 1968 #293Three months on the list, the first woman ever added to the list
Ruth Eisemann-Schier
Ruth Eisemann-Schier
Ruth Eisemann Schier is best known as the first woman to appear on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list.Schier was added to the list in 1968, for participating in the kidnapping-for-ransom of land heiress Barbara Jane Mackle in a plan concocted by her boyfriend, Gary Steven Krist...
- U.S. prisoner arrested March 5, 1969 in Norman, Oklahoma
Norman, Oklahoma
Norman is a city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United States, and is located south of downtown Oklahoma City. It is part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, Norman was to have 110,925 full-time residents, making it the third-largest city in Oklahoma and the...
by FBI Agents. Ruth Eisemann Schier
and her partner, Gary Steven Krist (Fugitive #292) were later indicted on Georgia state charges of kidnapping with ransom.
Later entries
- FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, 2000sFBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, 2000s-FBI Headlines in the 2000s:The 2000s started out badly for the FBI's much needed attempts to upgrade technology. First, the Trilogy project went far over the $380 million budget, and behind its three-year schedule. Then, Virtual Case File, or VCF, planned for completion in 2003, was officially...
- FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, 1990sFBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, 1990sThe FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives during the 1990s is a list, maintained for a fifth decade, of the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation.-FBI 10 Most Wanted Fugitives to begin the 1990s:...
- FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, 1980sFBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, 1980sThe FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives during the 1980s is a list, maintained for a fourth decade, of the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation.-FBI headlines in the 1980s:...
- FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, 1970sFBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, 1970sThe FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives during the 1970s is a list, maintained for a third decade, of the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation.-FBI headlines in the 1970s:...
- FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, 1960sFBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, 1960sIn the 1960s, for a second decade, the United States FBI continued to maintain a public list of the people it regarded as the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives...