Executive Summary
- Gary Wayne Howard, 74, a registered sex offender from Florida, was arrested in Indianapolis after being a fugitive since 2010.
- Authorities state Howard staged his own death in Kentucky to evade law enforcement after violating his probation.
- He faces extradition to Florida for numerous charges and may also face a federal prosecution case in Indiana.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – A Florida man who had been a fugitive for more than a decade after faking his own death was arrested at his Indiana home, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. Gary Wayne Howard, 74, was taken into custody by federal agents in Indianapolis on Thursday for violating the terms of his probation as a registered sex offender.
Howard was convicted on 22 counts of possessing child pornography in Pinellas County, Florida, in 2007 and was required to register as a sex offender for life. Authorities state that he violated his probation in 2010 and fled the state. An arrest warrant was subsequently issued in March 2011 after he failed to complete his registration.
Staged Death and Capture
Investigators believe Howard orchestrated a scheme to stage his own suicide. He allegedly abandoned a rental car near Mauzy Lake in Morganfield, Kentucky, in what officials called a “deliberate attempt by Howard to stage his own death to appear as a suicide.”
The search for Howard eventually led investigators to Indiana, where they discovered he had relatives. Surveillance was established on a residence in the Irvington neighborhood of Indianapolis, leading to his arrest as he stepped onto his front porch.
Pending Charges and Extradition
Upon his arrest, Howard reportedly told agents, “I had hoped to be dead before you caught up with me,” according to a media report from WXIN. He was booked into the Vanderburgh County Jail and is expected to be extradited to Florida. There, he faces multiple charges, including probation violation and 32 counts of failure to register as a sex offender. He may also face a federal prosecution case in Indiana under the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act.
“This arrest exemplifies the tenacity and determination of Deputy U.S. Marshals and our task force partners to bring every fugitive to Justice,” said William Berger Sr., U.S. Marshal for the Middle District of Florida. It is important to note that all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.