|
|
Post by Scumhunter on Jan 31, 2018 0:49:58 GMT -5
Ya that's what I was implying, that he has family in a few places who could theoretically know something  |
|
|
|
Post by тσρтєиhυитєя on Feb 26, 2018 14:29:52 GMT -5
Later this week, it’ll be 42 years since Brad Bishop disappeared, and interesting enough, Bishop will be bumped up to the top of the Ten Most Wanted section on the FBI site which is pretty prefect timing.
|
|
|
|
Post by тσρтєиhυитєя on Mar 1, 2018 16:52:23 GMT -5
Today is the 42nd anniversary of the brutal murders of the Bishop family and sadly Brad Bishop is still out there.
At this point, I have 3 solid theories that have been pretty much heavy on my mind within the last few months.
The first is that I believe some of his family members in Canada, California, or France knows something we don’t about Bishop, which could lead us to a Donald Webb style resolution.
The second is that Bishop is likely on the African continent, likely in South Africa or Botswana.
The third is that Bishop was likely living in the Former (Socialist Federal Republic) SFR Yugoslavia (Today Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo).
I really want to talk about the Yugoslavia theory because Bishop was fluent in Serbo-Croatian. In 1976 during the Cold War, that country was basically the leader of the Third World or Non-Aligned Movement And it’s a place nobody would really suspect since it was basically a non-aligned communist state.
Based on the alleged confirmed sightings in 1978 in Sweden, in 1979 in Italy and in 1994 in Switzerland it would make sense.
I think Bishop roamed
Western Europe from a few weeks after the murders, until Roy Harrell allegedly encountered him in January 1979, Italy is right next to Yugoslavia, so I suspect that during the 1980s Bishop was living there completely undetected and was forced to leave sometime in the early 1990s like 1992-1994 due to the Yugoslav wars that caused the former country to collapse, which would make sense why there weren’t any sighting until the one in Basel, Switzerland in 1994.
Even if Bishop never fled the former Yugoslavia, it could explain why he’s been so difficult to locate, because he was likely a casualty of the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s and maybe one of the unidentified victims. I brought this point up earlier in the thread
Any thoughts?? Anything anyone wants to add??
|
|
|
|
Post by Scumhunter on Mar 1, 2018 19:03:35 GMT -5
These are all good theories, although I tend to lead toward's eal22's thoughts that Roy Harrell's alleged sighting might not be such a great lead after all.
I think he's dead wherever he is, perhaps even still in those North Carolina woods, and if he died a random vagabond somewhere, unfortunately his body may never be found.
|
|
|
|
Post by тσρтєиhυитєя on Mar 1, 2018 20:37:05 GMT -5
These are all good theories, although I tend to lead toward's eal22's thoughts that Roy Harrell's alleged sighting might not be such a great lead after all. I think he's dead wherever he is, perhaps even still in those North Carolina woods, and if he died a random vagabond somewhere, unfortunately his body may never be found. That actually would make sense, and I don’t think we know who actually drove Bishops vehicle from North Carolina to Tennessee. Since Bishop was allegedly seen with a woman, I figured she drove the vehicle and disappeared, unless they have Bishop’s fingerprints on the steering wheel? |
|
|
|
Post by Scumhunter on Mar 1, 2018 21:51:20 GMT -5
I don't know about that, just have that feeling this may unfortunately be a case that will never be solved. (well we know who almost certainly did it, just we'll never truly know what became of Bishop).
|
|
|
|
Post by Maddog on Mar 8, 2018 15:37:32 GMT -5
www.wbir.com/article/news/crime/appalachian-unsolved-the-diplomat-accused-of-killing-his-family-part-2/51-516155553patch.com/maryland/bethesda-chevychase/bethesda-family-annihilator-40-year-search-resumeInterestingly, the FBI and Montgomery County Sheriff's Department are focusing more on the area where Bishop vanished from: The Great Smoky Mountains. It was revealed in one of the above articles that they believe he may have buried the family dog, Leo, up on the mountain (if he did, he even erected a cross for Leo when he buried him). They also found a footprint that appeared fresh and may have belonged to Bishop. My belief is that he had assistance getting out of the area and was long gone. I believe the Basel, Switzerland sighting is the best sighting in this case: Not only did one, but two people who knew him (former members of the same tennis club as Bishop) see him at the train station there. In case folks here haven't heard the account, the couple who knew him from the tennis club were on a train platform when a train pulled in two tracks down from them. The woman (she and her husband were waiting for their train to arrive) noticed a man in the last car of the train staring at her husband in curiosity. She thought to herself, "My God! That's Brad Bishop!" She knew why Bishop was staring at her husband: His appearance hadn't changed at all in 18 years - and he looked identical to his appearance in 1976. His wife whispered to him, "Last car, two tracks down from us. Peer in and tell me who you see." Her husband looked and yelled, "Good grief! That's Brad Bishop!" Bishop then noticed he had been spotted and tried to conceal his face with a newspaper. When he realized that wasn't working, Bishop did something that stunned them. He stuck his thumbs in his ears and waved his fingers at them. A train pulled in between his train and them, but as Bishop's train pulled out of the station minutes later, he was laughing almost in relief. The couple didn't go to the police as they didn't speak the same language, but they did do a little amateur detective work: They determined that the train Bishop was on was going to Southern Switzerland, and then to Italy (which makes sense - because the 1979 sighting happened there). I believe Bishop is still alive, but time is running out. The U.S. Marshals as of 2011 had info that Bishop was alive in Italy - with one tip saying he was teaching English, and another tip indicating he was involved in Mafia activities.
|
|
|
|
Post by Scumhunter on Mar 8, 2018 18:19:49 GMT -5
Interesting, it would be ironic if after all these years, Bishop is found in that park after all, but ALIVE and not dead.
Eal22 brought up some good points that have made me question Roy Harrell's sighting, but the Basel, Switzerland sighting does seem a bit more credible based on that description.
|
|
|
|
Post by Maddog on Mar 8, 2018 20:05:27 GMT -5
I believe Harrell - his description of Bishop is VERY consistent with the description in the Stockholm sighting (very similar descriptions as to clothing and facial hair). While the FBI dropped the ball on the sighting in Basel (miscommunication between Swiss and American authorities), NBC News worked with the witness and her husband to come up with this photo of Bishop as he was sighted in 1994 (I apologize the photo is a bit small).  |
|
|
|
Post by Scumhunter on Mar 8, 2018 20:23:54 GMT -5
I believe Harrell legitimately might have thought he saw Bishop- but could have been mistaken. Everyone has a twin, or Bishop could have always been in the back of his mind, and if some random guy in a bathroom tells me he knows me, I'd be inclined to run away too. (Only somewhat kidding ) That is a good point though that the sightings were consistent, and I didn't know the FBI is believed to have bungled the Basel sighting. I clicked on the photo and the larger version appears on my laptop when I do so thanks for that. |
|
|
|
Post by Maddog on Mar 8, 2018 23:33:49 GMT -5
The Swiss say they were never contacted by the FBI (if I remember correctly). I believe Harrell's telling the truth, because as he has discussed, this random person he believed was Bishop yelled out, "Oh my God! NO!" in perfect English when Harrell suggested he come with him to Rome to surrender. I should note that in 1979, the FBI inserted a sketch into their Bishop posters that was based on Harrell's description. Thus, I think the FBI gave it a lot of weight. Roy Harrell has never struck me as someone who appears dishonest after seeing him in interviews. He has kept a very straight story about what happened before and during the sighting.
I think the best tip though is the 1994 sighting. I think a train station like the one in Basel would be the perfect place to encounter a fugitive.
|
|
|
|
Post by Scumhunter on Mar 9, 2018 0:57:14 GMT -5
Ah interesting, even for a case this old with so many tv shows done on the case, I learn something new.
I basically only knew of Harrell's re-telling on The Hunt with John Walsh, and thought the entire encounter was just him saying "you're Brad Bishop" and Bishop running away.
I did not realize he had actually asked him to surrender. That is extremely important information.
Although I do agree I still like the 1994 sighting better.
|
|
|
|
Post by тσρтєиhυитєя on Mar 9, 2018 5:52:26 GMT -5
I actually knew that Roy Harrell wanted Bishop to go to Rome with him after the restroom sighting in Italy in 1979 since it was brought up on the unsolved mysteries segment on him which is still on YouTube.
The Basel sighting to me seems the most solid as you pointed out, it was 2 individuals that knew him. Plus it wouldn’t surprise me if Bishop was catching a train go eventually head down to Italy, or even if he worked as an English teacher or the mafia.
The fact that Bishop could have been working for the Mafia is something I think is interesting and perhaps a reason why he hasn’t been able to be located yet.
|
|
|
|
Post by Scumhunter on Mar 9, 2018 6:01:35 GMT -5
Oh I saw the Unsolved Mysteries segment was well and clearly apparently forgot (and here I am saying Roy Harrell possibly misremembered aspects of his sighting- ha!- I'm honest and admit when I'm hypocritical about something lol)
Would the mafia want to associate with a guy like Bishop knowing what he did though? Even they have codes. Unless they didn't know who Bishop really was or he gave half-truths (like admitting he was wanted in America but claiming it was tax evasion or something).
|
|
|
|
Post by тσρтєиhυитєя on Mar 9, 2018 21:16:58 GMT -5
Oh I saw the Unsolved Mysteries segment was well and clearly apparently forgot (and here I am saying Roy Harrell possibly misremembered aspects of his sighting- ha!- I'm honest and admit when I'm hypocritical about something lol) Would the mafia want to associate with a guy like Bishop knowing what he did though? Even they have codes. Unless they didn't know who Bishop really was or he gave half-truths (like admitting he was wanted in America but claiming it was tax evasion or something). Not sure, I would think the mafia does commit crimes like the one Bishop is accused of if they wanted to get to someone’s family, but I would also think they have their codes and lines. Bishop being in the mafia helps them intelligence wise and since Italy had political troubles and crime troubles from the 1960s-1990s, so it isn’t far fetched. When Bishop was possibly sighted in Italy in 1979 it was during the Years of Lead. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Years_of_Lead_(Italy)But the teacher theory is also pretty good since he’s fluent in many languages |
|
