This Michigan Man Was the Youngest of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted

His name was Basil Kingsley Beck from Grand Rapids and he was the all-time youngest person to be featured on the FBI's “Ten Most Wanted” list.

Basil was born in Grand Rapids on March 1, 1933 and since he was eleven years old (!) he had been in several brutal juvenile reformatories and state prisons. By the time he was 20, he was wanted in three different states on counts of murder, and various burglaries. He was also known for beating female victims after robbing them.

Basil was suspected of burglary in Kansas City, Kansas in 1953; he fled to Arkansas but was nabbed by police, who sent him back to Kansas for a trial. He escaped with three others and fled even further – this time to Pennsylvania, where he was implicated – but never proven- of murder. He then split to Wisconsin where he robbed a restaurant; he then fled again, this time further west to California.

He was only 21 years old when he was placed on the FBI's "Ten Most Wanted" list in 1954, his crimes listed as murder and robbery.

His wanted poster described him as “armed and should be considered extremely dangerous. He reportedly stated he would shoot himself rather than return to prison. Reportedly, Beck goes into a fit of rage with slight provocation.”

On March 3, just two days after his 21st birthday, Basil was arrested by FBI agents while he was working at an auto wrecking yard in San Pablo, California. Even though he stated he would shoot himself than go back to prison, he never carried out that threat/promise.

On Apr. 9, 1954, Beck received a minimum sentence of 27 years for all charges.

Beck passed away on October 24, 1992 at the age of 59 and is buried in Restlawn Memorial Gardens in Holland, Michigan.