Crime

California Fugitive’s Decomposing Body Found After 16 Years on the Run

Published

3 years ago

Nov 19, 2021.

California fugitive Frederick McLean’s decomposing body found in South Carolina home after 16 years on the run

EKO HOT BLOG reports that on Nov. 6, the US Marshals Service discovered fugitive Frederick McLean’s rotting remains in a South Carolina residence after the felon had been on the run for 16 years.

A neighbour did a welfare check on the 70-year-old man known as James Fitzgerald and discovered his corpse inside his Seneca, South Carolina, home before notifying police, according to U.S. Marshals.

“The discovery of Frederick McLean’s body marks an end to the manhunt, but the investigation continues,” U.S. Marshals Service Director Ronald Davis said in a statement Friday. “I want to personally thank the men and women of the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office and the Oconee County Coroner’s Office who dedicated hundreds of man hours helping the Marshals identify the body and gather evidence allowing us to gain a better picture of McLean’s life as a fugitive.”

The San Diego Sheriff’s Department sought McLean on seven charges of sexual assault on a kid.

According to U.S. Marshals, one victim, who is now an adult, said McLean assaulted her more than 100 times between the ages of 5 and 12.

McLean was given an arrest warrant in 2005, and he was placed to the U.S. Marshals’ 15 Most Wanted fugitive list in 2006. He had lived in the South Carolina home where his corpse was discovered on Nov. 6 for 15 years.

McLean had “numerous aliases” and also lived in Poughkeepsie, New York, and Anderson, South Carolina, U.S. Marshal Steve Stafford of the Southern District of California said in a statement, adding that there “may be other victims out there.”

“We wish McLean’s fate had been determined by a court of law 15 years ago,” said U.S. Marshal Steve Stafford of the Southern District of California. “The investigators working on this case never gave up. We hope McLean’s death brings some sense of closure for the victims and their families, especially knowing he can never hurt another child.”

Authorities are still investigating the ongoing case. Anyone with information related to McLean is asked to contact the nearest U.S. Marshals Service office or local law enforcement office.

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