WILLIAM BRADFORD BISHOP, JR.

Wanted Fugitive

SHOULD BE CONSIDERED ARMED AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS, WITH SUICIDAL TENDENCIES

Bust age-progressed to age 77

View on FBI.gov Poster PDF

Wanted for

Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution - Murder With a Blunt Instrument

Caution

William Bradford Bishop, Jr. is wanted for allegedly bludgeoning to death his wife (age 37), mother (age 68), and three sons (ages 5, 10 and 14) 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. In March of 1976, Bishop was charged locally with murder by the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office in Rockville, Maryland, and then charged federally with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

Description

Sex: Male
Race: white
Hair: brown
Eyes: brown
Weight: 180–1976 lbs
Age: 90
Date(s) of birth used: August 1, 1936
Place of birth: Pasadena, California
Nationality: American
Scars and marks: Bishop has a six-inch vertical surgical scar on his lower back.
Occupation: United States Government Foreign Service Officer (in 1976)
NCIC: W904681473

Field offices

Baltimore · MD

Remarks

Bishop was, and may still be, an avid outdoorsman, camper, and hiker. He had extensive camping experience in Africa. He also enjoyed canoeing, fishing, swimming, jogging, tennis, skiing and riding motorcycles. Bishop enjoyed working out several times a week. He was also a licensed amateur pilot who learned to fly in Botswana, Africa.

Bishop has an American Studies degree from Yale University and a Master's Degree in Italian from Middlebury College in Vermont. He was known to read extensively and may have kept a diary or journal. A longtime insomniac, Bishop reportedly had been under psychiatric care in the past and had used medication for depression. He drank scotch and wine and enjoyed eating peanuts and spicy food.

Bishop was described as intense and self-absorbed, prone to violent outbursts, and preferred a neat and orderly environment.

Poster files

English EN FRANAIS IN ITALIANO EN ESPAOL

Posted Feb 26, 2014 · Updated by the FBI Mar 14, 2026

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