Bishop was likely removed from the list because he may no longer be perceived as a danger to society at large.
They might believe he is dead from old age or suicide, but are still looking for his body. imo, speculation.
Happy 500th Fugitive to the FBI's 'Ten Most Wanted' List
June 18, 2013 rbbm.
''
Only six "wanted" people have been removed from the list because they were "no longer considered to be a particularly dangerous menace to society." (In some cases, they were never found, but were presumed dead.)''
Ten Most Wanted Fugitives FAQ — FBI
''When are fugitives removed from the list?
“Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” are only removed from the list when they meet one of the following conditions:
First, they are captured.
Second, the federal process pending against the individual is dismissed—this is not an FBI decision.
Third, they no longer fit “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” criteria.
In the ten cases where fugitives were removed for the third reason, it was determined that each fugitive was no longer considered to be a “particularly dangerous menace to society.” When a fugitive is removed from the list, another is added to take his or her place.''
The 10 Most Notorious Fugitives on the FBI’s Most Wanted List | The Saturday Evening Post
''William Bradford Bishop brutally beat his wife, mother, and children to death and disappeared in 1976. In the next few years, witnesses claimed to have seen him in several locations overseas. Yet,
for some reason, he wasn’t added to the list until 2014, when the Bureau had produced an age-advanced image of him to aid in his capture. It failed to turn up any leads, and two years later, he was dropped from the list. He would now be 84 years old.''
William Bradford Bishop (
FBI)
