Reward Goes Up For Wanted Suspect

Reward Increased to $12,500 for Most Wanted Fugitive, Suspect in Bryan Double Homicide.

AUSTIN – The reward for Frankie Lee Bell Jr., 29, a Texas Ten Most Wanted Fugitive and this month’s featured fugitive, was increased to $12,500 for information leading to his capture if the tip comes in during January. Bell, affiliated with the Bloods gang, is wanted for murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. All suggestions are guaranteed to be anonymous.

Bell has ties to Caldwell, his last known address, and Somerville in Burleson County, as well as Bryan and Houston. On October 3, 2017, Bell and multiple other subjects allegedly became involved in an aggravated robbery at a residence in Bryan. As a result of the theft, two men were shot and killed, and a third man inside the house was injured. Bell’s whereabouts since then are unknown. A Texas Department of Criminal Justice facility in June 2017 had released the suspect. He was there serving a 12-year sentence for shooting two men in 2005.

Bell is 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs approximately 175 pounds. He has a tattoo of a dog paw and a 5-point star on his right forearm; a “B” hand sign on his outer right forearm; a “59” on his left bicep; other tattoos covering his neck and both arms; and a scar near his right eye. For more information or updates in the event of his arrest, see his wanted bulletin at http://www.dps.texas.gov/texas10mostwanted/MostWanted/fugitiveDetails?id=385.

One offender from the Texas Ten Most Wanted Program is featured each month in hopes the higher reward money from the Governor’s Criminal Justice Division will generate additional tips. If tips come in on the suspect during the same month that the fugitive we feature the person, the higher reward amount is paid. In 2017, Texas Crime Stoppers paid $61,000 in total rewards for anonymous tips that resulted in arrests.

To be eligible for the cash rewards, tipsters MUST provide information to authorities using one of the five following methods:

Call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-252-TIPS (8477).
Text the letters “DPS” – followed by your tip – to 274637 (CRIMES) from your cell phone.
Submit a web tip through the DPS website by selecting the fugitive you have information about, and then clicking on the link under their picture.
Submit a Facebook tip at http://www.facebook.com/texas10mostwanted by clicking the “SUBMIT A TIP” link (under the “About” section).
Submit a tip to the DPS Mobile App. The app is currently available for iPhone users on the Apple App Store: (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/texas-dps/id902092368?mt=8) and Android users on Google Play: (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microassist.texasdps&hl=en).

All tips are anonymous – regardless of how they are submitted, and we provide a tip number instead of name for the provider.

DPS investigators work with local law enforcement agencies to select fugitives for the Texas 10 Most Wanted Fugitive and Sex offender lists. You can find the current listings, with photos, on the DPS website at http://www.dps.texas.gov/texas10mostwanted/.

Do not attempt to apprehend these fugitives; they are considered armed and dangerous.