Catherine Marie Kerkow, Air Piracy, New York 2026

The ghost of Flight 701 still haunts the airways, and the woman at the center of it remains a phantom. Catherine Marie Kerkow, wanted for air piracy dating back to a brazen 1972 hijacking, is still out there. Fifty-two years have passed since she and a partner commandeered a Western Airlines flight bound for Seattle, turning a routine trip into a terrifying standoff. They claimed a bomb, demanded half a million dollars, and vanished with it after releasing the 97 passengers in San Francisco. Vanished, that is, into the welcoming arms of political asylum in Algeria, but never truly disappeared from the ledger.

Kerkow, a name linked to the Black Panthers, is considered armed and dangerous. The FBI hasn’t forgotten, and neither should you. She’s described as a white female, around 5’5” and a slight 115 pounds. Brown hair, brown eyes—features that could blend into any crowd, any city. But don’t mistake her size for harmlessness. This woman pulled off an international heist, outmaneuvered federal agents, and established roots in a network that stretched from Oregon to North Africa and possibly beyond. Reports suggest she’s fluent in both English and French, a chameleon capable of moving through different worlds.

The trail went cold, but not entirely. Intelligence points to potential connections in Oregon, France, Switzerland, even Cuba and Jordan. She’s a ghost with a passport, a shadow flitting across borders. The money, of course, is long gone, likely funneled into supporting whatever cause she believed in then, and perhaps still does. What remains is a lingering threat, a reminder that some crimes, some fugitives, defy the passage of time. The FBI is offering a substantial reward for information leading to her capture, a testament to the seriousness with which they view this case.

Born sometime between 1946 and 1951—birthdates are murky, another layer of deception—Kerkow is a master of obfuscation. No known aliases, no recent confirmed sightings, just whispers and speculation. But whispers are enough. A half-century hasn’t erased the fear she instilled in those passengers, the disruption she caused, the disrespect she showed for the law.

If you have any information, no matter how small, regarding the whereabouts of Catherine Marie Kerkow, contact the FBI immediately. Don't assume someone else has already reported it. Every detail matters. Every shadow could be her. Let’s finally ground this ghost.

🔍 Key Facts

📋 Source: FBI Most Wanted — Catherine Marie Kerkow
If you have information about this fugitive, contact your local FBI field office or submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov.

Source: https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/dt/catherine-marie-kerkow