Glen Stewart Godwin Is Still On The Run. Here's What We Know
In the late 1980s, California authorities came upon a storm drain emptying into the Sacramento River. The bars of the storm drain had been cut, and there was a white, spray-painted smiley face and arrows pointed toward the river. This was determined to be the tunnel through which Glen Stewart Godwin had escaped nearby Folsom State Prison, according to NBC Sacramento. It was his second attempt at a getaway while serving a life sentence for murder and robbery (the first try was unsuccessful), per Business Insider.
Now on the run, Godwin would show up a few years later, in a Mexican jail, convicted for cocaine trafficking. Before he could be extradited to the States, however, Godwin would escape once more.
Authorities believe Godwin was only able to escape from Folsom with the help of a convict out on parole, who cut the bars and painted the face and arrows to guide Godwin across the river where a getaway car awaited him. Meanwhile, the second time he escaped he managed to evade authorities with the help of a Mexican drug cartel, in exchange for a murder perpetrated by Godwin while in custody. After the first robbery and murder for which Godwin was sentenced, his accomplice called Godwin, "the most dangerous man I have ever met," Business Insider reported. The FBI remains on the lookout for Godwin. But where is he, and how has he evaded the authorities all this time?
A $20,000 reward
As Business Insider tells it, little is known about exactly how Glen Stewart Godwin managed to escape his Mexican prison. He pulled off his California prison break with a mix of accomplices on the outside, and tools smuggled inside the jail. Some who helped Godwin escape from Folsom were later arrested.
After he disappeared again in Mexico, the FBI offered a $20,000 reward for any information related to his whereabouts and he was put on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list. Fluent in Spanish, it's believed he's living somewhere in Central or South America, distributing narcotics. In 2016, he was taken from the FBI Top 10 list, as it was deemed he posted little ongoing threat to the public, as Bustle reports.
Nevertheless, the FBI has not ruled out the possibility he could be living in the States, under an alias. According to Business Insider, FBI Special Agent Dan Rodriguez said, "It's possible he could be here under some assumed name or some alias, and he could have proper identification with that name."
Authorities also frequently receive tips that he's been spotted stateside, according to Rodriquez. "Whatever tip we get we vet it out and track it down just to confirm it isn't him," he said (via Business Insider). As of 2022, it's estimated that Godwin could be anywhere from 64 to 76 years old, according to the FBI.