'America's Most Wanted' fugitive laid blueprint for vanishing before 20-year escape: affidavit
An "America's Most Wanted" fugitive spent days preparing for his disappearance before vanishing more than 20 years ago, according to newly reviewed court documents detailing emails to his attorney, a canceled flight to London and literature on changing identities found inside his home.
Ronald L. Fischer, 69, was captured Thursday aboard a sailboat off the New Jersey coast after spending more than two decades on the run following his disappearance during a Rhode Island sexual assault trial.
The FBI told Fox News Digital last week that the breakthrough came after an online sleuth tipped off investigators, ultimately leading the agency and the U.S. Marshals Service to the sailboat where Fischer had been living under the alias Richard Graydon.
'AMERICA'S MOST WANTED' FUGITIVE CAPTURED ON SAILBOAT OFF NJ COAST AFTER 20 YEARS ON THE RUN
Fischer never returned to Rhode Island Superior Court after disappearing during his trial in April 2005. A jury found him guilty of first-degree sexual assault after he fled, and authorities spent more than two decades searching for him before his capture last week.
The newly reviewed affidavit provides the first detailed account of what investigators uncovered in the days after Fischer disappeared.
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A federal affidavit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island says Fischer emailed his attorney on April 23, 2005, telling him he was fleeing the country.
Later that evening, he called each of his daughters and said he was leaving the U.S. Investigators also determined Fischer contacted a New York travel agency before purchasing an American Airlines ticket from Boston to London, then canceled the reservation before boarding the flight.
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Hours later, surveillance cameras captured Fischer returning a rental car to an Enterprise location in Boston shortly after midnight before walking away carrying two travel bags over his shoulder.
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Investigators wrote that Fischer spent the days before his disappearance putting his affairs in order. He transferred vehicles to each of his daughters, instructed them to remove their belongings from his home and disposed of a Jaguar before vanishing.
Authorities also reviewed an email Fischer allegedly sent to attorney Robert Mann in which they said he explained he had decided not to risk being convicted in state court and instead planned to leave the U.S. to enjoy what he described as "a good, safe, secure and comfortable life."
A search of Fischer's home uncovered literature explaining how people could change their identities and disappear.
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Fischer's ex-wife, Dr. Nancy Stein, told investigators he was well traveled, had friends in other parts of the world –including Brazil –and believed he might attempt to charter a boat.
The U.S. Marshals Service told Fox News Digital investigators believe Fischer likely left the U.S. by boat after disappearing in 2005. Authorities also believe he paid more than $1 million for the 56-foot sailboat "Silver Lining," though they have not yet confirmed when or how he acquired the vessel.
Investigators believe Fischer had been using the alias Richard Graydon since at least 2017, adding he may have adopted it earlier. Authorities also said Fischer may have alternated between living aboard the sailboat and staying on shore during his years as a fugitive.
Federal authorities ultimately obtained an unlawful flight warrant, alleging Fischer had traveled in interstate or foreign commerce to avoid prosecution.
Fischer's years on the run ended Thursday when investigators intercepted the 56-foot sailboat "Silver Lining" off the New Jersey coast after what the FBI described as "a tip from an online sleuth."
He was taken into custody without incident during a coordinated operation involving the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Coast Guard and other law enforcement agencies.
The U.S. Marshals Service did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for additional information about where Fischer spent the past two decades, when he first adopted the alias Richard Graydon or how he acquired the sailboat where he was ultimately captured.