Former Pasadena Man Who Allegedly Killed Family Added to FBI’s ‘Most Wanted’ List

The Pasadena-born fugitive who allegedly killed his entire family in 1976 and was recently named one of the FBI’s 10 most wanted fugitives may be hiding in the Southland.

William Bradford Bishop, Jr. may still have associations with the Pasadena area and could be hiding in Southern California or Nevada mountains 38 years after he committed the crime, FBI said in a press release.

The suspect is wanted for allegedly bludgeoning to death his 37-year-old wife, 68-year-old mother, and three sons ages 5, 10 and 14 years old, in Bethesda, Maryland on March 1, 1976. He then allegedly transported their bodies to Columbia, North Carolina, where he buried the bodies in a shallow grave and lit them on fire.

“This was a horrific case that involved five innocent members of one family, including three young children, who were all brutally murdered in a place in which they felt safe and by a person whom they trusted,” said Chief Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department. “It is unthinkable that a man who is a son, a husband, and a father could commit such a terrible crime.”

A $100,000 bounty has been set up for anyone who could lead to the arrest of Bishop, who was last seen when he bought a pair of sneakers in Jacksonville, North Carolina, in 1976.

Investigators coordinated in May 2013 with the FBI’s Baltimore and Washington Field Offices, Montgomery County Police Department, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, and United States Department of State to form a task force that would review the case.

The task force worked with top forensic artist Karen T. Taylor to create an age-progressed bust of what Bishop may look like now at the age of 77.

Steve Vogt, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Baltimore Division, said he hoped the media would help solve the case.

“Media wasn’t the same in 1976 as it is now. You didn’t have 24-hour news stations that many people watch in the gym or sitting in airports,” Vogt said. “You also didn’t have social media, like Facebook or Twitter back then”

FBI described Bishop as a white man, 6’1” tall and 180 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes when he was last seen in 1976. He has a six-inch vertical surgical scar on his lower back that FBI said would still be visible.

The federal agency also said Bishop loved the outdoors and was an avid hiker, runner, swimmer, and fisherman who also enjoyed riding motorcycles. He was also a licensed amateur pilot who learned to fly in Botswana, Africa, and was well-read and learned to speak many languages while working in the United States Foreign Service.

Bishop is believed to have taken with him a Smith and Wesson .38 revolver he inherited from his father with the serial number C981967.

The fugitive earned a degree in American Studies from Yale University and a master’s degree in Italian from Middlebury College in Vermont. Bishop had been seen in many photos wearing his class ring from Yale. FBI said the ring meant a lot to him and that he may still be having or wearing it.

Those who have any information about Bishop call (800) CALL-FBI. Visit http://www.fbi.gov to see more detailed information about the Bishop case and to view the age-progressed photos in-depth.