Could you imagine after many years of being adopted and finally getting the courage to search for your biological parents and finding out one of them is an alleged killer. That’s what happened when Kathy Gillcrist learned that her father, William Bradford Bishop Jr., was an alleged killer.
The 63-year-old old woman not only found out that her father was on the FBI’s Most Wanted List, but she also found out that her biological father, William Bradford Jr was a highly educated former foreign service officer at the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C.
Gillcrist took the risk of checking one box confirming that it was okay to search for any alive relatives she has since she was adopted. This led to finding her first DNA match which was her third cousin Susan Gillmor. Who was a successful genealogist in Maine. Gillmor was shocked at how much the two favored each other personality and skill-wise. With the two-third cousins taking interest in English.
With the help of her third cousin, Gillcrist decided to dig deeper for more relatives. Which the biggest challenge for the two was searching for her biological father. When finally doing more research, Gillmor was a bit hesitant on telling Gillcrist who her father was. She told WECT, “I’m looking at the surnames, I’m looking at names in common, I’m looking at geography– and his name is William Bradford Bishop, Jr,” said Gillmor.
The name raised questions when they found out that William Bradford Bishop Jr, was a wanted fugitive. He has been wanted by the FBI since the 1970s. With being accused of brutally murdering his wife, mother, and three sons after missing out on a promotion at work. According to the FBI, on March 1, 1976, Bishop, then 39, allegedly bludgeoned to death his mother, wife, and three sons, ages 14, 10, and 5, in Bethesda, Maryland, the day after being passed up for a promotion. In a video released by the FBI, Bishop drove their bodies to Columbia, North Carolina, where he allegedly buried them. He also allegedly lit the bodies on fire.
Even though her father has been removed from the FBI’s Most Wanted List to make room for other fugitives, Gillcrist still believes that he is alive and well. The woman published a book about her discovery titled, “It’s in My Genes“. The book describes her search for her father and her adoptive life. As for Bishop, he’s no longer on the FBI’s Most Wanted List. However, he has been reportedly spotted in Europe. Which Gillcrist believes he started a new life and family.
