A woman in North Carolina who was adopted more than 60 years ago made a shocking discovery after a DNA test revealed her biological father to be a murderer who killed five people.

Kathy Gillcrist was left stunned after finding out that her father was on the FBI’s most wanted list after killing his wife, Annette, his mother and his three sons in 1976. 

‘The more I hear about him, the scarier it is,’ she told WXII 12. ‘I googled him and the first thing that popped up was his wanted poster from the FBI.’

Gillcrist had been adopted in the 1950s and only found out who her father was after taking a 23andMe DNA test.  

The test took about six weeks for her results. She had selected that she was adopted and was curious to learn more about her biological family. 

Gillcrist quickly discovered she had a cousin who reached out to her and they grew their relationship. That very cousin, a genealogist, helped her find out who her father was. 

‘I was shocked. I have to say, and it’s not because I am a horrible person but I laughed because of just how crazy it was,’ she told the outlet. 

‘I was here expecting some famous person,’ Gillcrist added. ‘Maybe Ronald Reagan was my father, you know. But, no. It’s a murderer wanted by the FBI.’

Kathy Gillcrist was left stunned after finding out that her father was on the FBI’s most wanted list after killing his wife, mother and three sons in 1976

Her father was a man named William Bradford Bishop, a fugitive wanted for the horrific murders of his family in Bethesda, Maryland, after he allegedly bludgeoned them to death

Gillcrist had been adopted in the 1950s and only found out who her father was after taking a 23andMe DNA test. After learning of the shocking identity of her father, she began collecting journal entries, newspaper clippings, notes and wanted posters over the years

Her father was a man named William Bradford Bishop, a fugitive wanted for the horrific murders of his family in Bethesda, Maryland, after he allegedly bludgeoned them to death. 

Bishop then allegedly drove their bodies to North Carolina where they were burned before he abandoned his car and disappeared, the outlet reported. 

He landed on the FBI’s most wanted list in 2014. 

‘I thought, “Wow, this is absolutely horrible,” and I realized that I remembered when that happened. I was a freshman in college – I went to Boston and the murders took place in DC,’ she told the outlet. 

After learning of the shocking identity of her father, she grew more and more curious and began collecting journal entries, newspaper clippings, notes and wanted posters over the years.   

Over the pandemic, Gillcrist put her story into a book called ‘It’s In My Genes.’ 

‘You know, it’s not a game. Science is real. And once you learn information that’s true, you can’t take it back. So, be careful is my message,’ she said. 

The story went viral following the release of her book, and she ended up becoming close with the FBI and started receiving tips called into her from across the globe. 

Bishop allegedly drove his family’s bodies to North Carolina where they were burned before he abandoned his car and disappeared. Pictured: Bishop’s wife, Annette, and two of his sons

Bishop would be 90 years old if he was still alive, and Gillcrist said she would have many questions for him.

‘I would ask him if he knew he had a daughter and how that might have felt,’ she told the outlet. 

‘If he’s still alive, what does he think about everything that has come forth about him. I guess I would ask what motivated him to do that. I don’t know that he would even have an answer.’

But, 50 years on, the murders were never solved. 

There have been sightings over the years, many in Europe, but it has been years since any photos of possible sightings were sent through, Gillcrist said.

‘They’ve never found Bishop. The case is not closed,’ she added.