Famous bounty hunters throughout history

Siringo worked on many high-profile cases, and at one point he even infiltrated the infamous Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch. "I closed the Union Pacific train robbery case after having traveled more than 25,000 miles by rail, vehicles, afoot, and on horseback, and after being on the operation constantly for about four years. The 'Wild Bunch' during these four years were pretty well scattered, many being put in their graves and others in prison," he wrote.

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James Kirker -

Of the many jobs James Kirker had, the one that he's most famous for, was as a scalp hunter for the Mexican government.

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James Kirker -

The Mexican state of Chihuahua offered a bounty on Apache scalps, and Kirker took the job. That is until the Mexicans couldn't afford his services and he had to flee Mexico.

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Domino Harvey -

Domino Harvey (pictured as a child) decided to quit her life as a model in the UK and move across the Atlantic to become a bounty hunter. She was one of the few female bail recovery agents working at the time, and enjoyed a very successful career.

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Domino Harvey -

The movie 'Domino' (2005), starring Keira Knightly, was inspired by Domino Harvey's life. Unfortunately, she passed away just a couple of months before the movie came out.

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Dottie Thorson and Ken Barras -

Dottie Thorson was married to the famous bounty hunter Ralph "Papa" Thorson. Dottie took over the job after her husband was killed by a car bomb in 1994.

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Dottie Thorson and Ken Barras -

Thorson's son, Ken Barras, is also a bounty hunter. Her life inspired the 2000 TV show 'The Huntress.' Before that, her late husband was the inspiration for the 1980 movie 'The Hunter,' starring Steve McQueen.

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Leonard Padilla -

Leonard Padilla is another famous bounty hunter. He opened a bail bonds company in Sacramento, California, in the '70s, and the rest is history.

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Leonard Padilla -

In the early '80s, he opened the Lorenzo Patiño School of Law. Throughout his career, Leonard Padilla has run for public office several times.

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David Schultz -

David Schultz, also known as Dr. D, pursued a career as a professional bounty hunter after he retired from pro wrestling.

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Morgan Spurlock -

You probably recognize Morgan Spurlock's face from documentaries such as 'Super Size Me' (2004). But there's more to him.

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Morgan Spurlock -

Spurlock is more than just a filmmaker. He also showed off his bounty-hunting skills in 'Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?' (2008).

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Duane Chapman -

Duane Lee Chapman, aka Dog the Bounty Hunter, is probably the most well-known bounty hunter in the world, thanks to his reality TV show, which ran from 2003 to 2012.

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Duane Chapman -

Perhaps his most famous case was the capture of Max Factor heir (and convicted sex offender) Andrew Luster in Mexico in 2003. Luster had fled the country in the middle of his trial, but Chapman managed to track him down and bring him to justice.

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Beth Chapman -

Not only was Beth Chapman Dog's wife, but she was also his business partner. Indeed, she was a successful bounty hunter and TV personality.

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Beth Chapman -

Beth Chapman sadly passed away on June 26, 2019, the victim of cancer. She was 51.

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Leland Chapman -

Leland followed his father's footsteps and also became a bail bondsman and bounty hunter.

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Leland Chapman -

He started his career in the family's bail bonds company, Da Kine Bail Bonds, and never looked back. He now also runs his own company, Kama'aina Bail Bonds.

Sources: (List25) (Ranker) (History)

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Roots -

Before bounty hunters as we know them today, there used to be slave catchers, whose job it was to track down and return escaped slaves.

Public Domain

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Legal -

Bounty hunters have been part of the US law enforcement system since 1873.

Shutterstock

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Bounty hunter -

Getty Images

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Pat Garrett -

Getty Images

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Pat Garrett -

In the 1880s, New Mexico Governor Lew Wallace offered a US$500 reward for Billy, but Sheriff Garret never saw the money, as he didn't capture him. Instead, Garrett killed him.

Getty Images

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Mickey Free -

Felix Telles was kidnapped by Apaches as a child, and later went on to join the United States Army's Apache scouts. He earned the nickname of Mickey Free because of his skills as a scout.

Public Domain

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Mickey Free -

Mickey Free became a successful bounty hunter. He was responsible for tracking down the Apache Kid (pictured), earning him US$15,000.

Public Domain

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Charlie Siringo -

Charlie Siringo was a bounty hunter and private detective for the Pinkerton National Detective Agency in Chicago. He worked across the country and became known as the "Cowboy Detective."

Public Domain

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Charlie Siringo -

Public Domain

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James Kirker -

Of the many jobs James Kirker had, the one that he's most famous for, was as a scalp hunter for the Mexican government.

Public Domain

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James Kirker -

The Mexican state of Chihuahua offered a bounty on Apache scalps, and Kirker took the job. That is until the Mexicans couldn't afford his services and he had to flee Mexico.

Shutterstock

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Domino Harvey -

Getty Images

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Domino Harvey -

The movie 'Domino' (2005), starring Keira Knightly, was inspired by Domino Harvey's life. Unfortunately, she passed away just a couple of months before the movie came out.

Getty Images

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Dottie Thorson and Ken Barras -

Dottie Thorson was married to the famous bounty hunter Ralph "Papa" Thorson. Dottie took over the job after her husband was killed by a car bomb in 1994.

Getty Images

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Dottie Thorson and Ken Barras -

Getty Images

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Leonard Padilla -

Leonard Padilla is another famous bounty hunter. He opened a bail bonds company in Sacramento, California, in the '70s, and the rest is history.

Getty Images

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Leonard Padilla -

In the early '80s, he opened the Lorenzo Patiño School of Law. Throughout his career, Leonard Padilla has run for public office several times.

Getty Images

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David Schultz -

David Schultz, also known as Dr. D, pursued a career as a professional bounty hunter after he retired from pro wrestling.

Public Domain

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Morgan Spurlock -

You probably recognize Morgan Spurlock's face from documentaries such as 'Super Size Me' (2004). But there's more to him.

Getty Images

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Morgan Spurlock -

Spurlock is more than just a filmmaker. He also showed off his bounty-hunting skills in 'Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?' (2008).

Getty Images

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Duane Chapman -

Duane Lee Chapman, aka Dog the Bounty Hunter, is probably the most well-known bounty hunter in the world, thanks to his reality TV show, which ran from 2003 to 2012.

Getty Images

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Duane Chapman -

Getty Images

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Beth Chapman -

Not only was Beth Chapman Dog's wife, but she was also his business partner. Indeed, she was a successful bounty hunter and TV personality.

Getty Images

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Beth Chapman -

Beth Chapman sadly passed away on June 26, 2019, the victim of cancer. She was 51.

Getty Images

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Leland Chapman -

Leland followed his father's footsteps and also became a bail bondsman and bounty hunter.

Getty Images

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Leland Chapman -

He started his career in the family's bail bonds company, Da Kine Bail Bonds, and never looked back. He now also runs his own company, Kama'aina Bail Bonds.

Sources: (List25) (Ranker) (History)

Getty Images

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Famous bounty hunters throughout history

Many came before Duane "Dog" Chapman

13/12/24 | StarsInsider

LIFESTYLE Law

Rewards for capturing people are nothing new. Most of us are familiar with the "Most Wanted" posters of the Old West, and today it's not that different. Bounty hunters chase fugitives and/or criminals for a bounty. These men and women dedicate their lives to tracking down and capturing people who, for one reason or another, should be brought to justice.

Of course, some bounty hunters became more famous than others. Click through this gallery and find out more about history's most noteworthy bounty hunters.