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FBI Wanted API

Free FBI Wanted API with no key: most wanted fugitives, missing persons and case data with photos, descriptions and reward details. Tested curl example.

No API key requiredHTTPSFree tier

Endpoint tested and returned HTTP 200 on 2026-08-19

What is the FBI Wanted API?

The FBI Wanted API is a free, key-free API published by the FBI that returns its wanted persons, missing persons and seeking-information cases, including photographs, physical descriptions and reward amounts.

This is an official FBI public data feed covering fugitives, missing persons, kidnappings and cases where the Bureau is seeking information. Each record carries photographs, physical descriptors, the field office handling it and any reward.

The data is sensitive by nature. Records describe real ongoing investigations involving real people, so if you surface it, link back to the official FBI page rather than presenting it as your own dataset, and keep it current — records are removed when cases close.

Quick facts

Base URL
https://api.fbi.gov
Authentication
No API key required.
Rate limit
No published limit; reasonable use expected.
Pricing
Free public domain US government data.
CORS
Not enabled — call it from your server
Official docs
Read the docs

How to use the FBI Wanted API

Every request below was executed against the live API on 2026-08-19, and the response shown is the real body it returned — not an illustration.

1. Fetch a wanted persons record

GET https://api.fbi.gov/wanted/v1/list?pageSize=1

curl
curl 'https://api.fbi.gov/wanted/v1/list?pageSize=1'
JavaScript (fetch)
const res = await fetch("https://api.fbi.gov/wanted/v1/list?pageSize=1");
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`Request failed: ${res.status}`);
const data = await res.json();
console.log(data);
Python (requests)
import requests

res = requests.get("https://api.fbi.gov/wanted/v1/list?pageSize=1", timeout=20)
res.raise_for_status()
print(res.json())
Response — HTTP 200 (truncated)
{
  "total": 1230,
  "items": [
    {
      "files": [
        {
          "url": "https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/cei/victor-eduardo-morales-zelaya/download.pdf",
          "name": "English"
        },
        {
          "url": "https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/cei/victor-eduardo-morales-zelaya/cuervospanish.pdf/@@download/file/CuervoSpanish.pdf",
          "name": "EN ESPAOL"
        }
      ],
      "age_range": null,
      "uid": "7d54d3dc154843ddaae748d03fb8f375",
      "weight": "220 pounds",
      "occupations": null,
      "field_offices": [
        "houston"
      ],
      "locations": null,
      "reward_text": "The United States Department of State's Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program is offering a reward of up to $5,000,000 for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Victor Eduardo Morales Zelaya.",
      "sex": "Male",
      "hair": "black",
      "ncic": null,
      "dates_of_birth_used": [
        "July 11, 1974"
      ],
      "caution": "<p>Victor Eduardo Morales Zelaya is allegedly a national leader and high-ranking member of MS-13 in Honduras and a close associate of Ten Most Wanted Fugitive, <a data-urltype=\"/view\" data-val=\"https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/topten/yulan-adonay-archaga-carias\" href=\"https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/topten/yulan-adonay-archaga-carias\" data-linktype=\"external\">Yulan Adonay Archaga Carias</a>.  Morales Zelaya allegedly coordinated the gang’s drug trafficking business, acts of violence (including murders and kidnappings) against rivals, and the movement of proceeds from the gang’s illicit activities.  He is also a

Parameters

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
pageSizeintegerOptionalResults per page, up to 50. 20
pageintegerOptionalPage number. 2
titlestringOptionalFilter by case title. bank
field_officesstringOptionalFilter by FBI field office. chicago
poster_classificationstringOptionalCase type such as missing, ten or default. missing

Response fields

totalinteger
Total records matching the query.
items[].titlestring
Subject or case title.
items[].descriptionstring
Short case description.
items[].imagesarray
Photograph URLs at several sizes with captions.
items[].reward_textstring
Reward offered, when applicable.
items[].field_officesarray
FBI field offices handling the case.
items[].urlstring
Canonical FBI page for the record — link here.

What you can build with the FBI Wanted API

  • Display current most-wanted or missing-persons listings on a public safety site
  • Build alerting for new cases in a specific field office region
  • Support journalism and research into federal cases
  • Practise handling paginated APIs with rich media attachments

Common errors and how to fix them

Empty items array

Filters matched nothing, or the page is beyond the result set.

Fix: Check `total` before paginating further.

Stale records

Cases close and records are withdrawn.

Fix: Re-fetch regularly and always link to the canonical `url`; never cache indefinitely.

FBI Wanted API — frequently asked questions

Is the FBI Wanted API free?

Yes, it is an official FBI public API with no key required, and the data is US government public domain.

What kinds of cases does it cover?

Wanted fugitives including the Ten Most Wanted, missing persons, kidnappings, and cases where the FBI is seeking information from the public.

Can I use this data on my own site?

The data is public domain, but it describes real people in active investigations. Link back to the official FBI record, keep your copy current, and remove records once they disappear from the feed.

How do I filter to a specific case type?

Use poster_classification, with values such as missing, ten (Ten Most Wanted) or default for standard wanted notices.

Tools that pair with this API

FBI Wanted is an independent third-party service and is not affiliated with ByteTools or ByteVancer. Details on this page were verified on 2026-08-19; always check the official documentation before relying on this API in production, as terms and limits can change.