The Top 13 Most Notorious FBI Manhunts in U.S. History.

The FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, launched in 1950, has become a hallmark of U.S. law enforcement efforts to capture dangerous criminals. Over the decades, the list has evolved to reflect changes in crime, from bank robbers and burglars to drug traffickers, terrorists, and serial killers. Here’s a look at the top 13 most notorious manhunts in modern U.S. history.

1. Ted Kaczynski: The 17-Year Search for the Unabomber

Ted Kaczynski, also known as the Unabomber, was a former mathematics professor who turned to domestic terrorism in the late 1970s. Over nearly two decades, Kaczynski sent homemade bombs through the mail, killing three people and injuring 23 others. His targets included university professors, airline executives, and scientists. Kaczynski justified his attacks in a manifesto, criticizing modern technology and advocating for a return to a simpler, more primitive way of life. The FBI’s manhunt, spanning 17 years, intensified after Kaczynski published his manifesto in The Washington Post in 1995. His brother recognized the writing style and alerted authorities, leading to Kaczynski’s arrest in 1996 at his Montana cabin. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life without parole.

2. James Earl Ray: The Fugitive Behind MLK’s Assassination

After the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, James Earl Ray, the fugitive shooter, triggered a massive, two-month-long manhunt involving over 3,000 law enforcement officers. Ray had escaped from the Missouri State Penitentiary a year before the killing. He was eventually apprehended at London’s Heathrow Airport in June 1968 after being detained for carrying false passports. Ray pleaded guilty and received a 99-year prison sentence.

3. 9/11 The Osama bin Laden Manhunt

Osama bin Laden was the founder of the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda and the mastermind behind the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and became one of the most hunted men in the world. His manhunt spanned over a decade, starting in 1996, and involved multiple U.S. agencies, including the FBI, CIA, and NSA. . Born in Saudi Arabia in 1957, bin Laden was raised in a wealthy family but became radicalized during the Soviet-Afghan War in the 1980s. He used his fortune to fund al-Qaeda, which orchestrated numerous attacks against U.S. interests, including bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 and the 9/11 attacks. After evading capture for nearly a decade, bin Laden was found in a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. On May 2, 2011, U.S. Navy SEALs killed him during a raid.

4. Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev: The Boston Bombers and Their Capture

In April 2013, brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev executed a terrorist bombing at the Boston Marathon, killing three and injuring over 260. The subsequent manhunt, involving local, state, and federal agencies, lasted five days. After a series of violent confrontations, Tamerlan was killed in a gunfight with law enforcement. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was later found hiding in a boat in a backyard and was sentenced to death, although his sentence was overturned in 2022.

5. John Wilkes Booth: The Assassination of Lincoln and a 12-Day Manhunt

 

John Wilkes Booth was an actor and Confederate sympathizer who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865. Booth, who opposed Lincoln’s policies, especially his stance on slavery and the Civil War, saw the assassination as a way to avenge the South’s defeat. After shooting Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., Booth fled the scene, initiating a 12-day manhunt. He was tracked through several states, eventually cornered in a Virginia barn, where he was shot and killed by Union soldiers. Booth’s assassination of Lincoln remains one of the most infamous acts in American history.

6. Chasing Christopher Dorner: The Ex-Cop Who Turned Killer

In February 2013, former LAPD officer Christopher Dorner went on a revenge-fueled killing spree targeting law enforcement officers and their families. Dorner’s nine-day manhunt involved over 100 police officers, intense media coverage, and a $1 million reward for information leading to his capture. The search ended on February 12, 2013, with Dorner’s death in a standoff at a cabin in Big Bear Lake, California.

7. Eric Robert Rudolph: The Man Behind the 1996 Olympic Park Bombing

Eric Robert Rudolph carried out multiple bombings, including the notorious 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bombing during the Summer Olympics in Atlanta, killing two people and injuring over 150. Rudolph managed to evade capture for five years, leading to one of the FBI’s most expensive and extensive manhunts. He was finally caught in 2003 in North Carolina and later pleaded guilty to multiple charges, receiving life sentences without parole.

8. The Hunt for Whitey Bulger: A $2 Million Reward and 16 Years of Escape

James “Whitey” Bulger, the infamous leader of the Winter Hill Gang, was a fugitive for 16 years after going into hiding in 1994. Bulger was wanted for 19 murders and racketeering charges. His name was on the FBI’s most-wanted list for a decade, with a $2 million reward offered for his capture—the largest ever for a domestic fugitive. He was finally apprehended in 2011 in Santa Monica, California, and sentenced to life in prison. Bulger was killed by fellow inmates in 2018.

9. The Beltway Snipers: A 23-Day Killing Spree Across the D.C. Area

In October 2002, John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo terrorized the Washington, D.C., area with random sniper shootings, killing 10 and injuring three. Over 400 agents were involved in the manhunt, which led to a breakthrough when a fingerprint was matched. Muhammad and Malvo were arrested at a Maryland rest area on October 24, 2002. Muhammad was executed in 2009, while Malvo received a life sentence, though his Virginia sentences were adjusted in 2022 to allow for possible parole.

10. Son of Sam David Berkowitz

From 1976 to 1977, David Berkowitz, known as the “Son of Sam,” went on a shooting spree in New York City, killing six people and injuring seven. His manhunt, involving 300 officers, came to an end after Berkowitz was linked to the murders through a parking ticket. Berkowitz claimed that the murders were commanded by a demon possessed dog. He was arrested on August 10, 1977, and sentenced to 25 years to life.

11. Bonnie and Clyde

Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, infamous outlaws during the Great Depression, embarked on a crime spree between 1932 and 1934, robbing banks and killing at least 13 people, including police officers. Their story became a media sensation, leading to one of the largest manhunts in U.S. history. The couple was ambushed and killed by law enforcement on May 23, 1934, in Bienville Parish, Louisiana.

12. Ted Bundy: The Convicted Serial Killer Who Evaded Justice Twice

Ted Bundy was a notorious serial killer, rapist and necrophiliac who confessed to killing 30 women in the 1970s, though some believe the true number was much higher. Arrested in February 1978, he received three death sentences for the murders of two Chi Omega sorority sisters and a 12-year-old girl. Bundy’s charm and intelligence made him a media sensation during his trial. He was executed in January 1989 at the age of 42.

13. Robert Jay Mathews: The White Supremacist Who Challenged the U.S. Government

On December 8, 1984, Robert Jay Mathews, leader of the white-supremacist group The Order, was killed in a house fire on Whidbey Island after a 35-hour standoff with the FBI. Mathews had been on the run since November 24, 1984, when he wounded an agent during his escape in Portland, Oregon. The Order’s reign of terror ended in April 1985 when 23 members were indicted and arrested. Twelve pled guilty and became government witnesses, while ten were convicted on charges like racketeering, robbery, and murder, receiving sentences of 40 to 100 years. The final defendant was sentenced to life for murder.

 

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