The List Murders

On November 9, 1971, John List left a note with the bodies of his mother, wife, and three children in his Westfield, New Jersey mansion ballroom, turned on funeral organ music, and disappeared. Eighteen years later, all detectives had to work from was an outdated photograph of List. In 1989, the television series “America's Most Wanted” commissioned an age-scaled bust of List to aid viewers in identifying the confessed murderer. Frank Bender, a nationally-recognized artist and sculptor, worked with forensic psychologist Richard Walter to develop a profile of the aging List. The final bust was so keenly accurate that 350 viewers called with tips, one of which led to List's arrest in Richmond, Virginia.