WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. —
A North Carolina woman, adopted in the 1950s, took a DNA test. The results uncovered details about her biological father that she never would have expected.
The DNA results revealed Kathy Gillcrist’s father, William Bradford Bishop Jr., was a mass murderer who was on the FBI’s most wanted list.
“The more I hear about him, the scarier it is,” said Gillcrist.
A collection of newspaper clippings and wanted posters lay scattered across her kitchen table as she shared her story with sister station WXII.
“You know, a lot of skeletons come out of the closet,” she said. “I googled him, and the first thing that popped up was his wanted poster from the FBI.”
Gillcrist was adopted in the 1950s and spent most of her life unaware of who her parents were — until she took a 23andMe DNA test 60 years later.
“I was here expecting some famous person,” she said. “Maybe Ronald Reagan was my father, you know. But, no. It’s a murderer wanted by the FBI.”
Bishop is a fugitive, wanted for the murders of his wife, mother and three sons in Bethesda, Maryland, back in 1976.
He allegedly bludgeoned his family to death, drove their bodies to North Carolina, burned them and abandoned his car before vanishing.
“And I thought, ‘Wow, this is absolutely horrible,'” said Gillcrist. “And I realized that I remembered when that happened. I was a freshman in college. I went to Boston and the murders took place in D.C.”
In April of 2014, the FBI placed Bishop on the list of its 10 most-wanted fugitives.
“I was shocked,” Gillcrist said. “I have to say, and it’s not because I am a horrible person, but I laughed. Because of just how crazy it was. I was crazy to think it was probably some famous person — and it’s a murderer.”
Gillcrist said she took the DNA test in 2017 in hopes of discovering more about her family background.
“I sent it away and it takes about six weeks,” she said. “And I checked the box that I was adopted and said I wouldn’t mind getting further information.”
Shortly after receiving her results, a cousin reached out, who she quickly grew close with. Around eight months later, her cousin, a genealogist, helped her discover who her father was.
“I still always thought maybe I was the daughter of a famous person, like a movie star,” she said. “So I said, is he somebody famous? And she kind of laughed a bit because we both have a crazy sense of humor and she said, ‘Well, kind of!’ And she said, ‘How about you google him?’ And she told me his name, which was William Bradford Bishop.”
Gillcrist grew even more intrigued by her biological father and his story, collecting information over the years, gaining access to his journal entries, and gathering stacks of notes and newspaper clippings — as well as wanted posters.
“It’s been 50 years since the murders,” she said. “The murders took place the first weekend in March.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Gillcrist put pen to paper to share her story. She released a book called “It’s In My Genes.”
“You know, it’s not a game,” she said. “Science is real. And once you learn information that’s true, you can’t take it back. So, be careful is my message.”
After releasing her book, she formed a relationship with the FBI and even received telephone tips over the years from people all over the world.
“The murder was never solved,” she said. “They’ve never found Bishop. The case is not closed.”
Bishop, if alive, would be 90 years old now. And, if ever given the chance to meet him, Gillcrist said she would certainly still have some questions.
“I would ask him if he knew he had a daughter,” she said. “And how that might have felt. And, if he’s still alive, what does he think about everything that has come forth about him. I guess I would ask what motivated him to do that. I don’t know that he would even have an answer.”
Gillcrist said there have been potential sightings of her father over the years, mostly in Europe. She said it has been a few years, though, since she has received any photo sightings from people thinking they might have seen him.
She said as long as she knew she would be safe, she would be open to meeting him if he’s ever found.
