Part 68, page 163

Transcript

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48 THE NASHVILLE BANNER, Friday, March 19, 1976

FBI Searches Smokies For Murder Suspect

Gatlinburg (UPI) — FBI agents, guided by experienced forest rangers, today fanned out through the wilds of Great Smoky Mountains National Park in search of a State Department official wanted in the murder of five members of his family.

The search was started after a bronze-colored Chevrolet station wagon belonging to Bradford Bisho[p], Jr. was found in [a] parking lot of the park.

Involved in the search were about a dozen FBI agents, tracking dogs, and six rangers who are familiar with the rugged terrain in the the 500,000-acre park. Officials discouraged any volunteer participation in the search in fear that Bishop might be armed.

The 1975 Chevrolet was left in an unpaved parking lot near the Elkmont Mountain campground, a developed camping area about 14 miles southeast of here.

The FBI said Bishop may have hiked up one of the trails and committed suicide. "There's a possibility that he may have gone up one of these trails and taken his own life. That is purely speculation," said Harold Swanson, special agent in charge of the Knoxville FBI office.

Chief ranger Dick Moeller said although the wooded area was infested with wild boar and bear, it

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BRADFORD BISHOP In Hiding?

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the area to see if they could provide any clues.

Several persons have vanished in the Smokies without a trace. One of the most widely publicized cases was that of 7-year-old Dennis Martin who disappeared on a Father's Day weekend, six years ago and was never seen again despite a search effort involving thousands, including a green Beret unit.

Park officials noticed Bishop's car had been parked in the lot at the head of a trail for over a week and ran a routine check on the ownership through nation-wide computerized criminal information center.

[It] was unlikely that a lone hiker would face danger from the animals. He said agents would also talk to any hikers in

Doctors, pharmacists and hospitals across the nation were also alerted Thursday to watch for Bishop, who may need a refill soon of an antidepressant drug prescribed to combat anxiety, tension, irritability and alcoholism.

When the 1975 Chevrolet was positively identified as Bishop's, a wrecker towed the car to ranger headquarters where FBI agents from Knoxville and Columbia began dusting for fingerprints and looking for other clues.

Inside the auto were a suitcase, a jacket and [a] shotgun in a case.

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DB Cooper-28931