Wayne Arthur Silsbee: Alleged child rapist surrenders to police after 23 years in hiding

Wayne Arthur Silsbee had been on the run and eluding authorities for 23 years.  A federal arrest warrant was issued for him back in 1996 when he was charged with raping “several female victims who were between the ages of eight and ten,” according to the FBI. Those sexual assaults occurred between September of 1995 and April of 1996, in Clackamas County, Oregon.

Silsbee was charged with first degree sodomy, first degree sexual abuse, endangering the welfare of a minor, and first degree unlawful sexual penetration in a local arrest warrant in Clackamas County, Oregon, on July 24, 1996.  Silsbee knew all of those children, having either babysat for them or escorted them to various events.

After all of those years in hiding, Silsbee, now 62-years-old, surrendered himself to police in Oregon on Friday, according to Fox News.  He is still facing those 1996 charges of first-degree sodomy, first-degree sexual abuse, endangering the welfare of a minor and first-degree unlawful sexual penetration. 

It’s not yet clear why the fugitive decided to turn himself in to authorities now.

Detectives believe Silsbee most recently lived in Nebraska, the FBI said. He also has had ties to Springfield, Missouri, the San Francisco Bay area, Colorado, Arizona and northwestern Washington state. ~ per CNN

In the past, Silsbee has been employed as a security guard, tax preparer, school bus driver and warehouseman, according to his FBI “Wanted” poster. He has also worked for multiple temp service agencies and was “purported to be an active member of the Adventist Church.”

ABC News reported that Silsbee is being held on $50,000 bail at the Clackamas County Jail. He is expected to make his first court appearance in Oregon sometime today.

The FBI is asking anyone who may have had contact with him in the last 23 years to call the Oregon City tip line at (503) 496-1616. You can also contact your local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate.

For more on the story, see the video accompanying this article.

~ Written by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Connect with Richard on Facebook and Twitter