Stephen Craig Campbell – wanted for a 1982 bombing and attempted first-degree murder – had been one of the U.S. Marshals’ most-wanted fugitives for decades.

Stephen Craig Campbell. Credit: U.S. Marshals Service

His secret life under a stolen identity collapsed after a single mistake at a New Mexico motor vehicle department in 2019 set off an investigation that would ultimately lead to his arrest.

The 1982 Bombing That Started It All

On the run since 1983, Campbell was originally arrested for allegedly planting a bomb in a toolbox outside the Wyoming home of his estranged wife’s boyfriend.

When his wife opened the box, it exploded, severing one of her fingers and causing other injuries.

The blast also ignited a fire that destroyed her boyfriend’s home and damaged a neighboring residence.

Campbell was taken into custody at the time but was released on bond. Before he could stand trial, he disappeared without a trace, prompting a decades-long manhunt that confounded investigators.

For years, every lead went cold, with authorities unable to locate the missing fugitive — until he made a critical error that ultimately led to his capture.

Assuming the Identity of a Dead Classmate

Federal investigators say Campbell stole the identity of Walter Lee Coffman, a fellow engineering student at the University of Arkansas, who died in a car crash at age 22 in 1975.

The two had graduated from the same program just months before Coffman’s death. Authorities believe this prior connection helped Campbell assume Coffman’s identity without raising suspicion for years.

In 1984, Campbell allegedly applied for a U.S. passport using Coffman’s name — his first step in creating a new life. Over the next four decades, he repeatedly renewed the passport using his own photograph, but under Coffman’s name.

Authorities say he spent decades acquiring documents under the identity of a dead classmate. Credit: US Attorney’s Office District of New Mexico

In 1995, he secured a new Social Security card under Coffman’s identity using an Oklahoma driver’s license. By 2003, he had purchased a 44-acre property in Weed, New Mexico, using the stolen identity. He renewed his passport again in 2005 and 2015, allowing him to continue living undetected.

Investigators say that during this time, Campbell fraudulently collected more than $140,000 in Social Security benefits using Coffman’s name, per NBC News.

The Mistake That Gave Him Away

Campbell’s decades-long deception began to unravel in September 2019, when he went to the New Mexico Motor Vehicle Department in Cloudcroft to renew his driver’s license under Coffman’s name.

While his renewal request was approved, agents from the National Passport Center’s Fraud Prevention Unit flagged the identity for further review.

Credit: US Attorney’s Office District of New Mexico

Their search uncovered a death record for Coffman, exposing Campbell’s decades-long identity fraud.

Once authorities realized Coffman had died years before Campbell began using his name, a federal investigation was launched.

The Arrest: A Standoff in the New Mexico Wilderness

After confirming Campbell’s real identity, U.S. Marshals tracked him to his remote 44-acre property in New Mexico. Armed with an arrest warrant, law enforcement moved in to take him into custody on February 19, 2024.

However, Campbell did not surrender easily.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, when law enforcement arrived, he was armed with a scoped rifle and positioned himself in an elevated, partially concealed spot.

FBI agents deployed flashbangs to force him out of hiding. After repeated orders, Campbell emerged from the wood line and was taken into custody.

Authorities later found that Campbell’s rifle was loaded with high-powered ammunition capable of piercing standard body armor. A search of his home uncovered 57 firearms and large quantities of ammunition, despite federal laws prohibiting him from owning weapons.

Decades-Long Hunt Finally Ends

For law enforcement, Campbell’s capture marked the end of a manhunt that had lasted over 40 years.

SCSO spokesperson Jason Mower, who had worked on Campbell’s case for years, said: “Campbell’s wanted poster has been on the wall at our office since I started here nearly 20 years ago. I’ve worked hundreds of fugitive cases, helping track down and capture fugitives all across the country. But never Campbell — every lead went cold, no matter what tools we used.

“Now, I finally understand why.”

What’s Next for Campbell?

Following his arrest, Campbell appeared in federal court on Wednesday, where a judge ordered him to be held pending trial after ruling that he was a flight risk.

Campbell did not surrender easily. Credit: Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office

He has been charged with misuse of a passport, a crime that carries up to 10 years in prison. Additional charges related to his fraudulent Social Security benefits, weapons possession, and identity theft are still under review by federal prosecutors.

Meanwhile, authorities in Wyoming have requested a detainer, meaning Campbell could soon be extradited to face