SENECA, S.C. — One of the most wanted fugitives in the United States, who at one time lived in Dutchess County, apparently died about four months ago in a South Carolina home, investigators say.
Frederick Cecil McLean’s death came nearly 16 years after he first was wanted in San Diego for sexually assaulting children.
McLean, 70, died of natural causes in July, but his body wasn’t found until Nov. 6, when someone asked deputies to check on a neighbor who hadn’t been seen in a while, said Oconee County (S.C.) Coroner Karl Addis.
McLean had been on the U.S. Marshals Service’s 15 Most Wanted list since 2006, a year after the San Diego Sheriff’s Department issued arrest warrants for sexual assaults on a child and determined he was a high risk to continue attacking girls.
One girl was assaulted more than 100 times before she turned 13, marshals said in a statement.
McLean had been living in South Carolina for 15 years and was going by the name of James Fitzgerald, marshals said.
“The discovery of Frederick McLean’s body marks an end to the manhunt, but the investigation continues,” U.S. Marshals Service Director Ronald Davis said.
Investigators are now trying to determine if anyone helped McLean avoid being found by police. They have determined he used several other aliases and also lived in Anderson, S.C., and in Poughkeepsie. Details about his time in Dutchess County were not immediately clear.
“Because of his alleged crimes, we are concerned there may be other victims out there,” said U.S. Marshal Steve Stafford of the Southern District of California.
