After Osama bin Laden was killed in May, the FBI started seeking fugitives who could fill his place on the bureau's 10 Most Wanted list. The New York Times says it’s more complicated than finding any old criminal who has committed a high-profile crime. The bureau has been trying to highlight dangerous fugitives who may have been hiding in plain sight but could be recognized by distinctive features.
Now bin Laden’s place has been filled by Eric Toth, a Washington, D.C.-area tacher accused of possessing child porn. It was the first time since 2009 that the FBI has added a fugitive to the list. Using most-wanted posters to enlist the public's help in catching criminals dates to J. Edgar Hoover's tenure in the early 1930s, when the face of the notorious bank robber John Dillinger was on a “public enemies list.”