Ten Most Wanted Fugitive Wanted for Murder in Austin Arrested by Central Texas Violent Crimes Task Force
FBI Special Agent in Charge of the San Antonio Field Office Christopher Combs; Acting United States Marshal David Sligh, United States Marshals Service (USMS), Western District of Texas; Chief of Police Brian Manley, Austin Police Department (APD); Director Steven McCraw, Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), and Margaret Moore, Travis County District Attorney, announced the arrest of Robert Van Wisse, an FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive, wanted for the murder of Laurie Stout in Austin.
Van Wisse was arrested on Thursday, January 26, 2017, in Laredo, Texas.
On October 3, 1996, a state arrest warrant was issued for Van Wisse by the state of Texas, Travis County, after he was charged with the murder of Stout in Austin, Texas. On March 6, 1997, Van Wisse was charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution and a federal warrant was issued by the United States District Court, Western District of Texas, Austin. On December 13, 2016, at a joint press conference in Austin, Texas, Robert Van Wisse was announced as the 511th addition to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.
Since the December 2016 announcement, law enforcement officers participating in FBI San Antonio’s Central Texas Violent Crimes Task Force (Task Force), which includes USMS, APD, DPS, and the Texas Rangers, have conducted extensive investigation and followed up on numerous leads in an effort to locate and apprehend Van Wisse. On January 26, 2017, Van Wisse surrendered to law enforcement officers on the Task Force in Laredo, Texas.
The FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list was established in March 1950. Since then, 512 fugitives have been placed on the list, and 481 (to include Van Wisse) have been apprehended or located—160 of them as a result of citizen cooperation. Since its inception, there have been two fugitives wanted from FBI San Antonio placed on the list, and both of them were located and arrested. In addition, five fugitives that have been placed on the list were arrested in the FBI San Antonio area of responsibility.
At this time, no further information is available. A press conference will take place on Friday, January 27, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. at the Travis County Commissioners Court, 700 Lavaca, Austin, Texas, at which time all agencies will be available. In addition, the family of Laurie Stout will be available for interviews after the press conference. It is requested that the media continue to respect the privacy of the Stout family and not contact them directly; interviews can be coordinated through the Austin Police Department.
