FBI Release Age-Processed Photo of 1970 Anti-Vietnam War Bomber
The FBI has released an updated simulation photo of Leo Frederick Burt over 50 years since a bomb killed a researcher on the University of Wisconsin campus.
The FBI is still seeking Burt who has been on the bureau’s most wanted list since he disappeared after the deadly 1970 bombing which was connected to anti-Vietnam War activities.
“During the 53rd anniversary of the Sterling Hall bombing, the FBI has released a new series of images created using age-progression technology and an original photograph of Leo Frederick Burt obtained by the FBI in 1970,” writes FBI Milwaukee in a press release.
Last year, United States Marshals released age-progressed images of three men who infamously escaped the maximum-security prison on Alcatraz Island in 1962.
The FBI presumably uses digital imaging specialists in the hope they get the most accurate results possible. However, there are now plenty of AI-powered aging apps found on common social media apps like TikTok and Snapchat.
Leo Burt is now 75 years old and in his 1970 photo, he is seen wearing glasses with a full head of dark, curly hair. However, the new photos envision him with very little hair. The FBI show him both with and without his glasses.
Attorney Lester Pines, 73, was a student at the University of Wisconsin (UW) at the time of the bombing. As a young lawyer in 1975, he was part of a team that defended one of the other bombers.
“If the FBI is correct, Leo Burt’s visage has changed much worse than mine has,” Pines tells the AP while reacting to the updated photo. “I guess that Leo has not taken good care of himself, if he’s even still alive.”
The Case
In the early morning hours of August 24, 1970, a stolen van packed with fertilizer and fuel parked outside of the Army Math Research Center in Sterling Hall on the UW’s campus exploded after bombers lit the fuse.
Robert Fassnacht, a 33-year-old student who was working late into the night, died in the attack. Several others were injured and the bomb caused a huge amount of damage — including a $1.5 million computer.
Three of the four wanted men were captured as they tried to lead underground lives. All were convicted, serving short prison terms before being released.
Burt, however, vanished after the incident fleeing to Canada never to be seen again. This is despite hundreds of tips to the FBI about his whereabouts. Law enforcement refers to Burt as “Wisconsin’s state ghost.”
