Kash Patel Reveals Arrest of Woman on FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted List
A woman accused of murder and on the run for nearly six years was arrested in Florida just hours after being added to the Federal Bureau of Investigation Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, according to FBI Director Kash Patel.
Authorities said KaShawn Nicola Roper, 50, was taken into custody after tips poured in shortly after the FBI publicly announced a $1 million reward for information leading to her arrest.
Roper had been wanted in connection with a 2020 shooting in Missouri in which two women were struck by gunfire, one of them fatally.
According to investigators, Roper allegedly fired multiple shots into a vehicle in August 2020, killing one victim and wounding another. She then allegedly fled and remained at large for years.
“KaShawn Roper was on the run for nearly six years,” Patel said. “Hours after we added her to the Ten Most Wanted list, tips poured in and our partners had her in custody.”
The FBI said that after Roper was added to the list, multiple tips came in from Florida on Wednesday morning.
Callers reportedly told agents that a woman matching Roper’s description was quickly loading belongings into a vehicle.
Law enforcement agencies coordinated immediately.
Using the vehicle description provided by tipsters, officers located the suspect, conducted a traffic stop, and arrested her without incident.
Roper was booked into the Alachua County Jail.
She faces Missouri charges, including second-degree murder, armed criminal action, and unlawful use of a weapon, per Fox News.
She is also charged federally with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
The case is being highlighted by the FBI as evidence that the Most Wanted list remains one of the agency’s most effective public tools.
The list, first created in 1950, relies heavily on media exposure and citizen tips to help locate dangerous fugitives.
Patel said eight fugitives from the FBI’s most wanted programs have now been captured in just over a year.
He added that the figure is more than double the total from the previous four years combined.
Patel also praised the agencies involved in the operation.
“Outstanding work by FBI Kansas City, FBI Jacksonville, and our state and local partners in Florida and Missouri,” he said.
The arrest also underscores how quickly public awareness can change a fugitive investigation.
After years without capture, national attention and a reward offer helped generate leads within hours.
Roper is expected to face extradition proceedings before being returned to Missouri to answer the charges.
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