The FBI Most Wanted list names some of the scariest people who are still on the loose
after managing to evade law enforcement, seemingly getting away with their crimes.
But every now and then, these criminals are brought to justice, either with the help of
the public or thanks to new evidence that emerges and they are finally put to task for
their misdeeds.
5.
Mahboob Pasha
In 1994, Mahboob Pasha from Pakistan was working in a convenience store in Atlanta, Georgia
when he caught an unnamed man shoplifting from the store’s shelves.
He immediately phoned the police and locked the store’s doors in an attempt to keep
the man inside the store until they arrived.
However, the shoplifter then became belligerent and an argument broke out between him and
Pasha at which point, Pasha produced a weapon and fired at the man, hitting him.
The man would pass away from the attack a few days later and Pasha was taken in to be
interviewed by Atlanta police.
When he was told that he would be charged with ending the man’s life, he asked to
be excused so that he could use the restroom.
He left the room and took the opportunity to make his escape.
6 years later, he would be tracked down in Brooklyn, New York where he was arrested before
being returned to Georgia to stand trial.
During this time, he was diagnosed with medical issues and the charges against him were dismissed.
But three years later, it would come to light that Pasha’s medical condition was misdiagnosed
and the District Attorney’s Office made the decision to reinstate the charges against
him.
But he has not been tracked down and he remains on the FBI Most Wanted list.
He has been charged with murder, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the
commission of a crime and unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
If you know the whereabouts of Mahboob Pasha or have any information that could lead to
his arrest, you can contact your local FBI field office or the nearest American Embassy.
4.
Jorge Landeros
On the 25th of October, 2010, 52-year-old Sue Ann Marcum, a professor at American University
was found deceased by her close friend, Larry March, on the basement stairwell at her new
home in Bethesda, Maryland.
March had driven to her house for one of their frequent visits and upon arrival, he let himself
in as Sue had given him a key to the house.
He noticed that the place was in disarray as if a robbery had taken place and he started
to panic.
When he couldn’t locate Sue, he took the stairs to the basement where he made the grisly
discovery.
Investigators noted that her car, a Jeep Cherokee was missing and it would later be found that
she had succumbed due to being struck in the head with a glass bottle.
Police were able to extract DNA from under her fingernails, meaning that she had fought
back against her attacker.
When police were able to locate her car shortly after, they found that it was being driven
by an 18-year-old man who denied knowing anything about it being stolen.
When he was further questioned by police, he added that his older brother had found
the car abandoned and they decided to keep it.
When his DNA was tested against that found at the crime scene, it didn’t match Sue’s
attacker and the man was set free.
Later, investigators found that Sue had taken out a life insurance policy worth $500,000.
The beneficiary of the policy was a man named Jorge Landeros, who she had met in 2005.
Landeros had been teaching Sue to speak Spanish and they used to do yoga together.
In 2008, the pair opened investment accounts and Sue gave Landeros money to invest on her
behalf.
After a series of bad investment decisions in a foreign exchange market, Landeros lost
the money which, of course, angered Sue.
With the aid of an El Paso homicide detective, investigators managed to get a DNA sample
from Landeros and when it was tested, it came back as a positive match for the DNA found
under Sue’s fingernails.
It is believed that, after ending Sue’s life, Landeros staged the crime scene to look
like a robbery.
The last time that he was seen, Landeros was teaching a yoga class in Ciudad Juarez in
Mexico, but he could not be arrested as the Mexican government was still in the process
of issuing a provisional warrant.
FBI investigators have stated that he is likely still hiding out in Mexico, though he may
have found a way back into the United States as one of Sue’s friends told police that
she believes he is smart enough to keep evading arrest.
Landeros will now be in his fifties, he is 6 foot tall with black hair and brown eyes
and weighs approximately 200 lbs.
He is considered as armed and dangerous and anyone with information on the case is urged
to contact the agency on 1-800-225-5324.
3.
Guillermo Castaneda
Lisa Ann Bourquardez’s family became concerned when she failed to pick up her children from
their babysitter on the 27th of January, 2005.
Her mother immediately thought that something was wrong and after fetching the children,
decided to check on her daughter.
But Lisa’s boyfriend had also grown suspicious and reached their house in Cobb County, Georgia,
shortly before she did and when he entered the house, found that there was a large amount
of biological material everywhere.
They phoned the police who searched the property and found Lisa deceased inside a closet in
the house.
They then learned that, shortly before moving in with her boyfriend, she had split up with
the father of one of her children - Guillermo Castaneda.
Investigators believe that Castaneda had ridden his bicycle to Lisa’s house on that day
and confronted her as she was heading out.
He then ended her life with a blade before fleeing the scene in her boyfriend’s car.
The car was discovered 12 days later, abandoned in a Walmart parking lot in Alabama.
Castaneda immediately became a suspect and he was charged with ending Lisa’s life.
Police would then learn that this wasn’t the first time that he had committed such
a heinous act, as he had ended the life of another person in 2000 in Vera Cruz, Mexico.
But Castaneda was nowhere to be found and to this day, he remains on the loose.
He faces charges of murder, burglary, armed robbery and theft by takingt.
A warrant has also been issued charging him with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
He is considered as armed and dangerous and an escape risk.
Anyone with information on Castaneda’s whereabouts can phone the FBI on 1-800-225-5324 or contact
their nearest American Embassy or Consulate.
2.
Thayne Alan Smika
In 1983, Sidney Wells was studying at the University of Colorado in Boulder and he was
dating Shauna Redford, the daughter of well-known actor, Robert Redford.
Sid was studying journalism and was also a member of the Navy Reserve Officers’ Training
Corps program at the university.
During this time, he lived with his older brother, Sam, in the Spanish Towers condominiums
located off 29th Street and in a bid to make a little extra rent money, they decided to
take in a roommate, 24-year-old Thayne Smika who, unbeknownst to the brothers, was known
as a college dropout and drifter.
Smika was deep in debt and had been ducking bills for some time.
He was said to be a sloppy individual, usually unemployed and was known to easily lose his
temper.
He was also in the habit of using illegal substances, which he could rarely afford and
according to his family, he had struggled with mental issues and blackouts in the past.
Before long, the two brothers started having issues with Smika, as his rent was unpaid
and he rarely left the apartment.
Sid confronted him about the rent money and they came to an agreement for it to be paid
by the 1st of August.
Sam had been away on a camping trip and when he returned on the 1st of August, found the
apartment unlocked with the furniture strewn across the floor.
He then made a shocking discovery – his brother was lying deceased on the floor after
being attacked with a firearm.
He found a note from Smika on a coffee table, stating that he was leaving to visit his family
in Akron, Ohio and that he would be returning later in the week.
Sam dialled 911 and upon investigation, Smika was identified as a suspect.
On the 6th of October, he was arrested, but he maintained that he had nothing to do with
the case.
Smika entered into a plea deal with District Attorney, Alexander Hunter after it was determined
that there was insufficient evidence to convict him.
He was let go without any charges filed against him and it became an FBI cold case.
Smika stayed in Boulder for a while after which he told his family that he was leaving
and he has been missing since 1986.
The last time any trace of Smika was found was when his car, which was given to him by
his father, was discovered abandoned in Beverly Hills, California in that same year.
27 years later, a new arrest warrant was issued after new technology matched shells from Smika’s
firearm, which was left at the apartment, to those used in ending Sid’s life.
He has still not been caught and anyone with information is asked to contact their local
FBI field office or to contact the Boulder Police Department on (303)-441-3333.
1.
Edgardo Luis Perez
In October of 2001, Chrysler stylist and designer, 55-year-old Gordon Machek was getting ready
for retirement and he and his long-term boyfriend, Jim Johnson, were in the process of designing
their dream home just outside of Tampa, Florida.
It was time for building to start at their selected site and on the 19th of October,
Jim headed to the property.
Upon arrival, he checked in with Gordon, as they were in the habit of doing and the following
day, Gordon told Jim that he was going on a bike ride with a man named Eddie that he
had met at a nearby health club.
The day after that, Jim tried to contact Gordon to clear up some questions that developers
at their property had, but he was unable to reach him.
On the 22nd, he received a call from one of their credit card companies who reported that
there had been strange activity on Gordon’s card in Mexico.
Jim contacted Sue and Vic Macri, their neighbors back in Farmington Hills and asked them to
check the house.
Vic was out of town at the time and so, Sue headed over on her own while still on the
phone with Jim.
She reported that nothing seemed out of place, save for the fact that the garbage hadn’t
been taken out and that a newly washed pair of green towels was in the dryer.
Jim became uneasy as he and Gordon never used those towels.
When he learned that Gordon’s medication that he needed on a daily basis was still
in the fridge, he panicked and Sue filed a missing persons report.
Police went to the house and didn’t find anything suspicious, but a second, more thorough
search revealed that an old steamer trunk was missing from the house and deep drag marks
were found on the floor.
A few days later, Jim found Gordon’s planner with Edgardo “Eddie” Luis Perez’s name
and number inside.
They searched his house and found that he had been studying how to be a successful fugitive.
They then learned that he had attempted to take money out of Gordon’s stock account
and had also used his credit cards.
Gordon has never been found and Perez remains at large to
this day.