The 1960s was a turbulent decade, largely remembered for its great cultural change and political unrest. As citizens joined anti-war protests and youth rebelled in various ways, crime was on the rise across the country. As the nation grappled with civil rights struggles and societal social norms, the FBI faced a new generation of fugitives. Their crimes ranged from bank robberies and kidnappings to political extremism and violent crime. The individuals responsible gained notoriety through newspaper headlines and the now-iconic “Most Wanted” posters hanging in post offices across America. Their ability to elude capture for months or even years transformed them into symbols of danger in an increasingly chaotic world.
Exploring the FBI’s most wanted fugitives of the 1960s gives us a glimpse into law enforcement at the time, as they adapted to a rapidly changing nation. Growth in interstate travel and underground networks made tracking criminals more challenging than it had been years prior. The FBI was forced to refine its investigative techniques and expand its national reach. One of the ways they did so was through the FBI’s Most Wanted, which sent mugshots and information to the far corners of the country. In their own way, the fugitives on this list became part of the decade’s narrative.
Some notorious criminals aren’t included because they were only on the list briefly before capture, like James Earl Ray, Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassin, who was arrested in the UK after two months. Many early listees were captured before publication or evaded capture entirely.
Here are the FBI’s most wanted: notorious fugitives of the 1960s:
Harry Robert Grove, Jr.
- Added to the Most Wanted list: Feb. 19, 1962
- Criminal offense: Robbery, bail-jumping
- Arrested/Removed from list: Jan. 26, 1963
William Terry Nichols
- Added to the Most Wanted list: April 6, 1961
- Criminal offense: Armed robbery, jailbreak
- Arrested/Removed from list: April 30, 1962
Howard Jay Barnard
- Added to the Most Wanted list: April 12, 1963
- Criminal offense: Robbery
- Arrested/Removed from list: April 6, 1964
Alfred Oponowicz
- Added to the Most Wanted list: Nov. 27, 1963
- Criminal offense: Armed robbery, safecracking
- Arrested/Removed from list: Dec. 23, 1964
Donald Stewart Heien
- Added to the Most Wanted list: March 8, 1965
- Criminal offense: N/A
- Arrested/Removed from list: Feb. 3, 1966
Edward Owen Watkins
- Added to the Most Wanted list: Sept. 21, 1965
- Criminal offense: Bank robbery
- Arrested/Removed from list: Dec. 2, 1966
Lynwood Irwin Mears
- Added to the Most Wanted list: April 11, 1966
- Criminal offense: Breaking and entering, jailbreak
- Arrested/Removed from list: May 2, 1967
Monroe Hickson
- Added to the Most Wanted list: Feb. 17, 1967
- Criminal offense: Murder
- Arrested/Removed from list: Jan. 30, 1968
Carmen Raymond Gagliardi
- Added to the Most Wanted list: June 9, 1967
- Criminal offense: Murder
- Arrested/Removed from list: Dec. 23, 1968
George Edward Wells
- Added to the Most Wanted list: March 28, 1968
- Criminal offense: Armed robbery, interstate flight
- Arrested/Removed from list: May 27, 1969
Harold Thomas O’Brien
- Added to the Most Wanted list: Jan. 4, 1963
- Criminal offense: Murder, interstate flight
- Arrested/Removed from list: Jan. 14, 1965
Marie Dean Arrington
- Added to the Most Wanted list: May 29, 1969
- Criminal offense: Murder, jailbreak
- Arrested/Removed from list: Dec. 22, 1971
Gordon Dale Ervin
- Added to the Most Wanted list: April 13, 1967
- Criminal offense: Robbery
- Removed from list: June 7, 1969 (arrested)
Warren David Reddock
- Added to the Most Wanted list: March 11, 1969
- Criminal offense: Murder
- Arrested/Removed from list: April 14, 1971
John B. Everhart
- Added to the Most Wanted list: Nov. 22, 1960
- Criminal offense: Murder, jailbreak
- Arrested/Removed from list: Nov. 6, 1963
John Gibson Dillon
- Added to the Most Wanted list: Sept. 1, 1961
- Criminal offense: Drug trafficking, bail-jumping
- Arrested/Removed from list: March 2, 1964
Chester Collins
- Added to the Most Wanted list: May 14, 1964
- Criminal offense: N/A
- Arrested/Removed from list: March 30, 1967
Alson Thomas Wahrlich
- Added to the Most Wanted list: July 9, 1964
- Criminal offense: Kidnapping, molestation, interstate flight
- Arrested/Removed from list: Oct. 28, 1967
Taylor Morris Teaford
- Added to the Most Wanted list: May 10, 1969
- Criminal offense: Rape, murder
- Arrested/Removed from list: May 24, 1972
Byron James Rice
- Added to the Most Wanted list: July 5, 1968
- Criminal offense: Murder, arson
- Arrested/Removed from list: Oct. 2, 1972
Donald Leroy Payne
- Added to the Most Wanted list: Oct. 6, 1960
- Criminal offense: Rape, assault
- Arrested/Removed from list: Nov. 26, 1965
Edward Howard Maps
- Added to the Most Wanted list: June 15, 1962
- Criminal offense: Murder, arson
- Arrested/Removed from list: Dec. 1, 1967
Cameron David Bishop
- Added to the Most Wanted list: April 15, 1969
- Criminal offense: Sabotage
- Arrested/Removed from list: March 12, 1975
John William Clouser
- Added to the Most Wanted list: Jan. 7, 1965
- Criminal offense: Kidnapping, robbery, aggravated assault
- Arrested/Removed from list: Aug. 1, 1972
Benjamin Hoskins Paddock
- Added to the Most Wanted list: June 10, 1969
- Criminal offense: Bank robbery, jailbreak
- Arrested/Removed from list: May 5, 1977
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