Man on the run for 16 years for child molestation charges found dead in Upstate SC
A man wanted for child molestation charges for 16 years was found dead in a Seneca home.
He was on the U.S. Marshals 15 most-wanted list.
A neighbor found 70-year-old Frederick Cecil McLean on Nov. 6 when they went to check on him. Authorities said the body was in a state of decomposition.
A Nov. 15 an autopsy identified McLean through fingerprints.
There was a $25,000 reward for information on McLean, who the Marshals said met women through church activities. He was a Jehovah’s Witness and was accused of molesting women for 25 years as of 2005, the wanted poster said.
There were eight known victims.
Deputy Marshal Thomas Maranda told NBC News in 2007 that McLean used his position as a leader in the church to gain the trust of victims in a congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses near San Diego.
“His role in the church was significant,” Maranda told NBC, “because we believe that his participation in the church gave him access to his victims.”
The Marshals said McLean had likely changed his appearance and was working as a handyman or mechanic. He had previously used several aliases including Frederick McLaine or McLain and Rick McClean.
