Today, Special Agent in Charge (SAC) R. Joseph Rothrock, marks the FBI’s commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of the “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” list.

The “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” list originated from a newspaper story in late 1949. A reporter for the International News Service asked the FBI for the names and descriptions of the “toughest guys” the FBI would like to capture. The story had such widespread appeal and generated so much positive publicity that on March 14, 1950, former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover implemented the “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” program. Since the time of its inception, 496 have been apprehended or located.

This initiative is designed to publicize particularly dangerous fugitives and enlist the public to assist the FBI in locating them. It is an extremely important law enforcement tool, and media and public involvement is crucial to its success. At a minimum, a reward of up to $250,000 is offered by the FBI for information which leads directly to the arrest of a “Ten Most Wanted Fugitive.”

Since March 14, 1950, the FBI’s Dallas Field Office has added and successfully located seven fugitives to the “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” list. Floyd Allen Hill was the first fugitive from FBI Dallas to be placed on the list, March 30, 1953, for Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution-Robbery. He was captured on April 18, 1953. Jose Rodolfo Villarreal-Hernandez was the last fugitive from the FBI’s Dallas Field Office to be placed on the list, October 13, 2020, for Interstate Stalking and Conspiracy to Commit Murder-for-Hire. He was captured on January 7, 2023, by Mexican Authorities and was recently extradited to the United States on February 27, 2025.

Currently, FBI Dallas does not have any fugitives on the “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” list, but recognizes three notable entries captured in the last 10 years:

• Jose Rodolfo Villarreal-Hernandez: Placed on the list on October 13, 2020, for Interstate Stalking and Conspiracy to Commit Murder-for-Hire. Villarreal-Hernandez was wanted for orchestrating the brutal murder of a 43-year-old male on May 22, 2013, in Southlake, Texas. The murder took place in broad daylight in the middle of a busy shopping center. He was arrested by Mexican law enforcement agents in Atizapán de Zaragoza, Mexico on January 7, 2023, and extradited to North Texas on February 27, 2025.
• Brenda Delgado: Placed on the list April 6, 2016, for Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution-Capital Murder. Delgado was wanted for her role in a murder-for-hire plot that led to the death of a prominent pediatric dentist in Dallas. She was captured on April 8, two days after being placed on the list. Delgado was the ninth woman to be placed on the “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” list.
• Yaser Said: Placed on the list December 4, 2014, for Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution-Capital Murder-Multiple. Said was wanted for killing his two daughters, Sara and Amina, on January 1, 2008. His daughters were found in his taxicab outside a hotel in Irving, Texas. Said was on the run for 12 years before being apprehended by FBI Dallas in Justin, Texas, on August 26, 2020.

“The ‘Ten Most Wanted Fugitives’ program is successful because it employs law enforcement’s best collective resource – people who want to see justice served for their communities,” said Dallas FBI Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock. “We are grateful for the cooperation from law enforcement, prosecutors and media who bring attention to wanted criminals so they cannot simply blend into society.”

Information about the “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” list can be found on the www.fbi.gov/wanted/topten; @FBIMostWanted on X, Facebook and Instagram; FBI’s YouTube page; on the FBI Wanted mobile app (available for download on Apple and Android devices); and featured on episodes of Inside the FBI Podcast series. As technology continues to advance and innovative applications surface, the FBI will continue to utilize all the tools available to publicize fugitives and engage the public in helping to locate them.

If you have any information concerning individuals wanted by the FBI, report it online at tips.fbi.gov, by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI, or by contacting your local FBI office.