Three-week manhunt for alleged PA cop killer Eric Frein continues

The manhunt continues for 31 year-old Eric Frein, who allegedly shot and killed one Pennsylvania State Highway Patrol officer, wounded another, and escaped into the forests of the Pocono Mountains on September 12.

After three weeks in the underbrush of the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania, alleged police killer Eric Frein continues to elude a 1,000-man-strong manhunt, reports the Christian Science Monitor.

Police have been hunting Frein, the 31-year-old war reenactor, self-taught survivalist and rifle marksman, since Sept. 12, 2014. On that date, he allegedly crept through the woods, coming within sight of the Blooming Grove State Highway Patrol barracks. After the 11 p.m. shift change, Frein allegedly shot and killed Cpl. Bryon Dickson, then shot Trooper Alex Douglass, who survived, said police.

Frein allegedly slipped away, like Bigfoot, into the woods.

This week, police found waste and debris Frein allegedly left behind, and he is believed to be “stressed” and close to capture, said police. The remains included Ramen packages, tuna cans, and 90 rounds of the same .308 bullets allegedly used in the shooting.

The shootings and search have frustrated the region, since the manhunt has restricted the fall tourist season.

The hunt is reminiscent of the five-year search for bomber Eric Rudolph, a Christian Identity extremist who carried out several anti-abortion bomb attacks, including at the Atlanta Olympics. Rudolph eluded the FBI by secreting himself in the Nantahala National Forest, near Murphy, N.C.

Yet, there are differences between the two manhunts. Many believed Rudolph received help from locals. In this case, the townships being searched are displaying ribbons, showing solidarity for the slain officer.

Unlike Rudolph, Frein has not expressed an ideology; if he has one, police have not disclosed it. Frein has morphed his passion for war reenactments, and a particular affinity for Serbian Army exploits, into a tragic reality, implied police.

Although some policing experts doubt Frein will leave the forest alive, he could be hundreds of miles away, or still close by.

“You could literally walk right past someone in this terrain and not see them … unless you stepped on them,” said Pennsylvania State Highway Patrol Lt. Col. George Bivens.