The movie industry is chock-full of entertaining films that showcase elusive manhunts. Movies like “Catch Me If You Can” and “The Silence of the Lambs” depict FBI hunts and fugitives on the run in a manner that is both thrilling and a little unnerving for some. Although it can be entertaining to watch a film about fugitives and FBI manhunts, in real life, when a fugitive eludes the police, it can be intense and often terrifying for citizens. Have you heard about these longest manhunts in FBI history? Many people are familiar with famous cases such as Bonnie and Clyde and the Unabomber; however, you may have yet to hear about a few criminals who managed to elude the police for years and in some cases decades on this list.
Throughout the FBI’s history, there have been numerous manhunts, some short, others intense, and many still that have never been caught. Such is the case for Bradford Bishop Jr., who was never found and charged with the murder of his entire family in 1976. Nevertheless, the manhunts on this list include those who eluded police for several years or decades and were eventually found. (Next, read about the most significant cases in US Law enforcement history.)
To compile a list of the longest manhunts in FBI history 24/7 consulted the FBI website to research and confirm each manhunt and criminal’s actions.
Read below to learn more about the longest manhunts in FBI history.
Eric “Robert” Rudolph
- Wanted For: 5 years
- Crime(s): Atlanta and Birmingham Bombings
- Found in: 2003
While five years doesn’t seem like a long time, when it comes to FBI manhunts and searching for a killer, it can feel like an eternity.
On July 27, 1996, Eric Rudolph placed a bomb at the Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta. When the bomb went off, it killed one woman and injured over 100 others.
Rudolph continued to place bombs two more times in Georgia and Alabama. These bombs killed a police officer and injured many more.
On May 5, 1998, Rudolph was put on the FBI’s most-wanted fugitive list. He stayed on this list until May 31, 2003, when he was finally caught in Murphey, North Carolina. At the time of his arrest, he was going through a garbage can behind a store; however, he spent his time on the run hiding in the mountains of Western North Carolina.
Osama Bin Laden
- Wanted For: 12 years
- Crime(s): Extreme Terrorism
- Found in: 2011
Osama Bin Laden is the name linked to Al Qaeda, extreme terrorism, and several terrorist attacks on American soil, including the horrific 9/11 attacks.
He was a violent terrorist whose extremist ideals and plans killed thousands upon thousands of innocent people. He was the founder of the terrorist organization Al Qaeda and was extremely malicious towards the United States, along with other countries as well.
In the 90s, he declared war on the United States, and his first initial attack was on February 26, 1993. During this attack, there was a truck planted underneath the World Trade Centers by Yousef. The blast killed six people and injured thousands more. However, Bin Laden’s plan to bring down the towers failed.
More attacks were devised and carried out. On August 7, 1998, attacks on the US embassies in Kenya, Tanzania, Nairobi, and Dar es Salam killed over 200 people and injured thousands more.
Osama Bin Laden
It was on June 7, 1999, that Osama Bin Laden was placed on the FBI’s most wanted list.
In the early 2000s, a bomb went off next to the USS Cole, killing 17 Navy Sailors and injuring many more. Then, on September 11, 2001, one of the deadliest attacks from Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden took place. Four airliners were hijacked, with three of them flying into buildings, the World Trade Towers and the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The last plane was overtaken by brave passengers and crashed into a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.
Osama Bin Laden managed to avoid capture until May 2, 2011, when President Obama ordered a raid to be carried out by a special operations unit. They were to raid the compound in Northern Pakistan where Bin Laden was living, and he was killed.
Adam Yahiye Gadahn
- Wanted For: 12 years
- Crime(s): Treason
- Found in: 2011
Adam Yahiye Gadahn was originally named Adam Pearlman. He was an American who was raised in Orange County, California. While he was a teenager, Gadahn converted to Islam and moved to Karachi, Pakistan, after the 2001 World Trade Center attacks.
Gadahn was first seen on Al Qaeda propaganda videos in 2004, and he continued to be a prominent member of Al Qaeda throughout the early 2000s. He even praised the hijackers for the 9/11 attacks.
Gadahn became known as “Azzam the American” and, in 2006, was indicted with treason against the United States. This was the first time in several decades that an American was indicted with treason. Gadahn eluded capture until January 2015, when he was killed during a government counterterrorism operation.
James “Whitey” Bulger
- Wanted For: 16 years
- Crime(s): Racketeering and murder
- Found in: 2011
James “Whitey” Bulger was a mob leader in the Boston’s Winter Hill gang. He began getting involved in street crime at a young age, and his first arrest happened when he was 14 years old. During his mob days, he was involved in 19 murders. Additionally, Bulger was a mob boss from the 1970s until the 1990s.
In 1975, Bulger became an informant for the FBI and would give information about his competitor, the Boston La Cosa Nostra, also known as LCN. During this time, he rose in the ranks and became amicable with the new leader of the LCN.
In December 1994, the Boston U.S. Attorney’s Office planned to indict Bulger and two others. Yet, before he was arrested, Bulger received a tip from the FBI agent who had recruited him. Bulger went on the run and eluded the FBI for 16 years.
After 16 years of no luck, the FBI changed its tactics and focused on Catherine Greig. Greig was Bulger’s long-time companion. An acquaintance of Greig recognized her and sent a tip. This tip led to Bulger’s arrest after 16 years in 2011.
When Bulger was 89 in 2018, he was transferred to Hazelton Medical Care Level Two Institution. However, upon his arrival, he was placed among the general population. Bulger was found dead in his cell 14 hours later. He was bludgeoned to death by inmates who were loyal to the mafia.
Ted Kaczynski
- Wanted For: 17 years
- Crime(s): Domestic terrorist
- Found in: 1996
One of the most recognized and longest manhunts in FBI history was that of Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber. The FBI described the Unabomber as a “twisted genius.” He used his innate hermit tendencies to his advantage.
In 1978, Ted Kaczynski placed a homemade bomb at a Chicago university. Then, for almost two decades, he would hand deliver or mail complex bombs to random targets and leave inaccurate clues to throw off the FBI.
Throughout the years, the police were able to narrow down possible facts about Kaczynski, such as being raised in Chicago, living in Salt Lake City and San Fransisco, and most likely being male.
Finally, the act that was the undoing of the Unabomber came in a 35,000-word essay. In this essay, the Unabomber laid out his motives and views. It was the FBI’s idea to publish the essay for the public to see. They hoped that someone would recognize who the author was. Although they received many tips, one was a possible lead. Ted Kaczynski’s brother recognized the writing style, and details, and suspected him as the author.
On April 3, 1996, the Unabomber was finally arrested in a secluded cabin in Montana. He was charged with eight consecutive life terms in prison. At the age of 81, Kaczynski committed suicide while in prison in 2023.
Donald Eugene Webb
- Wanted For: 26 years
- Crime(s): Murder
- Found: Dead in 2017
In 1981, Donald Eugene Webb was added to the FBI’s most-wanted list. His crime was killing the Police Chief, Gregory Adams. He was also a mobster with ties to the New England Crime Family Patriarca.
For 18 years, his wife, Lillian Webb, kept him hidden in her home. Donald Webb lived in a small secret room in their basement, no bigger than a shower stall.
However, in 1999, Donald Webb suffered a stroke and advised his wife to dig a hole in the backyard to place his body. This is precisely what she did when he suffered another stroke and died. Lillian Webb kept this secret until 2017 when she finally confessed.
James Robert Jones
- Wanted For: 37 years
- Crime(s): Murder
- Found in: 2014
When James Robert Jones was finally captured, some of his first words were, “I knew this would catch up with me someday.”
Jones escaped from a Kansas prison after he assaulted and killed a soldier in 1974. “The Castle” was a maximum Security Military prison; however, Jones escaped and eluded capture for 37 years.
In his alternative life, he went by Bruce Walter Keith; during that time, he married a woman named Susan. She stated she did not know who Jones was during their time together.
Jones was finally captured after Marshals used facial recognition technology to match an old photo with his current Florida Driver’s License.
Bernardo Provenzano
- Wanted For: 43 years
- Crime(s): Multiple Murder, Mafia Association
- Found in: 2006
When you hear the town name Corleone, pictures of “The Godfather” trilogy may pop into your mind. However, the real town of Corleone, Italy, had a powerful mob boss, Bernardo Provenzano, who was perhaps the most influential one to operate in Italy.
Provenzano would go by the nickname “Bernie the Tractor” because he ruthlessly “mowed people down.”
He began as the top hitman for Lucky Luciano and eventually rose through the ranks. However, in 1963, Provenzano went on the run and eluded police until 2006. He stayed in custody until 2016 when he passed away at the age of 73.
Leonard Fristoe
- Wanted For: 46 years
- Crime(s): Double murder
- Found in: 1969
In 1920, Leonard Fristoe was sentenced to life in prison for killing two people. However, during this time, it was common for prisoners to be taken out and about. Fristoe was taken to a brothel, where he and another prisoner saw the opportunity to escape.
Fristoe used the alias Claude Willis until his son turned him in after an argument. He was arrested at the age of 77 in Compton and sent back to prison. He was overheard saying he “just wanted to go back and get it over with.” However, five months after his sentence, the governor pardoned him.
Frank Freshwaters
- Wanted For: 56 years
- Crime(s): Voluntary manslaughter
- Found in: 2015
One of the longest manhunts in FBI history was Frank Freshwaters. In 1957, Frank Freshwaters ran over and killed military veteran, Eugene Flynt, who was a pedestrian. Freshwaters was sent to the Ohio Reformatory in Mansfield also known as the Shawshank Prison, during his time in prison. Since Freshwaters was a model inmate, he was moved to an honor farm. This is where he escaped from.
Freshwater changed his name to William Harold Cox and stayed on the run until police finally arrested him at his home in 2015. However, Freshwaters won parole in 2016 after his attorney fought hard for release. His attorney’s argument that Freshwaters lived a clean life ultimately led to parole. (Now read why the FBI opened files on these very famous people.)