Episode description

March 1, 1976. Bethesda, Maryland. 37-year old Annette Bishop, her 68-year old mother-in-law Lobelia Bishop, and Annette’s three sons – 14-year old Brad, 10-year old Brent and five-year old Geoffrey – are all bludgeoned to death inside their home. The following day, the victims’ burning bodies are discovered in a shallow hole in a remote area of North Carolina, but the family’s patriarch – 39-year old William Bradford Bishop – is missing. Since the evidence shows that Bishop committed the crime, he is indicted on five counts of murder, but even though there are a number of reported sightings of him over the years and he spends some time on the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” list, Bishop is never found. Did William Bradford Bishop disappear into a remote area to kill himself or did he manage to escape and start a new life somehow? On this week’s episode of “The Trail Went Cold”, we explore the horrific story of the Bishop family murders and a wanted family annihilator who has managed to elude justice for 45 years. Special thanks to listener Matt Smith for narrating the opening of this episode.

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Additional Reading:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradford_Bishop

http://unsolved.com/gallery/william-bishop

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-aug-11-ls-21347-story.html

https://www.newspapers.com/image/436633661/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/262985578/

http://www.bethesdamagazine.com/Bethesda-Magazine/May-June-2013/Bradford-Bishop-Murders/

http://www.nbcwashington.com/investigations/series/brad-bishop/The-Hunt-for-William-Bradford-Bishop-254593361.html

http://www.wjla.com/articles/2014/10/fbi-body-exhumed-in-ala-is-not-brad-bishop-most-wanted-md-fugitive-108133.html

http://www.wbir.com/article/news/crime/appalachian-unsolved-the-diplomat-accused-of-murdering-his-family-part-1/51-512842729

https://www.wbir.com/article/news/investigations/appalachian-unsolved/appalachian-unsolved-the-diplomat-accused-of-killing-his-family-part-2/51-516155553

https://www.wbir.com/article/news/crime/appalachian-unsolved-the-mass-murderers-daughter/51-0cc0d47e-8178-4f10-bae7-28dc69a34402

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/03/09/bradford-bishop-dna-test-fbi/

“A Killer in the Family” by Peter Ross Range

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“The Trail Went Cold” is going to be appearing on podcast row at “Crimecon UK” at the Leonardo Royal Hotel &  Spa in London on September 25-26, 2021. To get a 10 % discount on the purchase of tickets to the event, please use our specialized promo  code, “COLD21”, by visiting https://www.crimecon.co.uk.

“The Trail Went Cold” is now doing a weekly livestream show on  GetVokl every Thursday from 7:00-8:00 PM ET as part of their “True  Crime Thursday” line-up. For more information, please visit their website.

The Trail Went Cold is produced and edited by Magill Foote.

All music is composed by Vince Nitro.