More than six decades after she was adopted, a North Carolina woman made a disturbing discovery when a DNA test identified her biological father as a suspected mass murderer.
Kathy Gillcrist was stunned to learn that her father had appeared on the FBI’s most wanted list in connection with the 1976 killings of his wife, his mother and his three sons.
“The more I hear about him, the scarier it is,” she told WXII 12. “I Googled him, and the first thing that came up was his wanted poster from the FBI.”
Gillcrist was adopted during the 1950s and had no idea of her biological father’s identity until she submitted a DNA sample to 23andMe.
She waited roughly six weeks for the results, having identified herself as adopted and hoping to uncover more information about her biological relatives.
The results soon connected her with a cousin, who contacted her and eventually became an important part of her life. The cousin, a genealogist, helped Gillcrist trace her family history and identify her father.
“I was shocked,” she said. “I have to say, and it’s not because I’m a horrible person, but I laughed because of how completely crazy it was.”
“I was expecting some famous person,” Gillcrist added. “Maybe Ronald Reagan was my father, you know. But no. It was a murderer wanted by the FBI.”
Kathy Gillcrist was stunned to discover that her biological father had been placed on the FBI’s most wanted list after his wife, mother and three sons were killed in 1976
Her father, William Bradford Bishop, remains a fugitive wanted in connection with the brutal killings of his family in Bethesda, Maryland, where investigators allege he beat them to death
Adopted in the 1950s, Gillcrist learned her father’s identity through a 23andMe DNA test. She later assembled journal entries, newspaper clippings, notes and wanted posters documenting the case
Gillcrist’s biological father was William Bradford Bishop, a fugitive accused of killing his family in Bethesda, Maryland, allegedly using a blunt object.
According to the outlet, Bishop is believed to have transported the bodies to North Carolina, where they were burned, before abandoning his vehicle and vanishing.
The FBI added Bishop to its most wanted list in 2014.
“I thought, ‘Wow, this is absolutely horrible,’” Gillcrist said. “Then I realized I remembered when it happened. I was a college freshman—I went to Boston, and the murders took place in Washington, DC.”
As she came to terms with the revelation, Gillcrist began documenting every detail she could find, collecting personal journal entries, newspaper reports, notes and FBI wanted posters.
During the pandemic, she turned that research and her personal story into a book titled It’s In My Genes.
“It’s not a game. Science is real, and once you learn information that is true, you can’t take it back,” she said. “So my message is: be careful.”
After the book’s release drew widespread attention online, Gillcrist developed a close relationship with the FBI and began receiving leads from people around the world.
Bishop allegedly transported his family’s bodies to North Carolina, burned them and then disappeared after abandoning his car. The FBI placed him on its most wanted list in 2014
If he were still alive, Bishop would now be 90, and Gillcrist said she would have countless questions for him.
“I would ask him whether he knew he had a daughter and what that might have meant to him,” she told the outlet.
“If he is still alive, what does he think about everything that has come out about him? I would want to know what motivated him to do it. I don’t know whether he would even have an answer.”
Nearly 50 years later, the killings remain unsolved.
Gillcrist said reported sightings have surfaced over the years, particularly in Europe, but no photographs linked to possible sightings have been submitted for a long time.
“They’ve never found Bishop. The case is not closed,” she said.