Authorities found the dead body of a most wanted fugitive who was on the run for more than 16 years

• The body of a most-wanted fugitive was found in South Carolina on Nov. 6, the US Marshal Service said.
• During their investigation, authorities identified the body as 70-year-old Frederick Cecil McLean.

The deceased body of a most-wanted fugitive who was on the run for over 16 years was found in South Carolina earlier this month, the US Marshals Service said.

Frederick Cecil McLean's body was found at a Seneca, South Carolina home on Nov. 6 when a worried neighbor conducted a welfare check after not seeing the 70-year-old in a few weeks, the agency said in a statement Friday.

The US Marshals said a fingerprint was taken during a Nov. 15 autopsy. An analysis determined that the body matched McLean, who was added to the agency's "15 Most Wanted" list in 2006.

The agency said no foul play was involved in his death. He was "wanted by the San Diego Sheriff's Department in California on multiple counts of sexual assault on a child and was deemed a high risk for sexually assaulting young girls," the statement said.

One of McLean's accusers alleged that he assaulted her for years, starting when she was as young as five years old, according to the statement.

—U.S. Marshals (@USMarshalsHQ) November 19, 2021

Authorities believe that McLean was allegedly living in the South Carolina residence using the alias James Fitgerald, the US Marshals said.

US Marshal Steve Stafford of the Southern District of California said that McLean used several aliases while on the loose and "also lived in Poughkeepsie, New York, and Anderson, South Carolina."

Stafford added: "Because of his alleged crimes, we are concerned there may be other victims out there," according to the statement.

An investigation remains underway into McLean's life as a fugitive and how he avoided getting caught for years.

"The discovery of Frederick McLean's body marks an end to the manhunt, but the investigation continues," US Marshals Service Director Ronald Davis said in the statement. "I want to personally thank the men and women of the Oconee County Sheriff's Office and the Oconee County Coroner's Office who dedicated hundreds of man-hours helping the Marshals identify the body and gather evidence allowing us to gain a better picture of McLean's life as a fugitive."