U.S. Department of State: Rewards for Justice – Reward Offer for Information on Kidnapping of Mark Randall Frerichs and Paul Edwin Overby, Jr.

Office of the Spokesperson

The U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, through its Rewards for Justice (RFJ) office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are advertising reward offers of up to $5 million for information concerning the kidnappings of Mark Randall Frerichs and Paul Edwin Overby, Jr. who both disappeared in Afghanistan.

The RFJ reward offers are for information leading to the location, recovery and return of Mr. Frerichs or Mr. Overby.

Mr. Overby was last seen in Khost, Afghanistan, near the border with Pakistan, in mid-May of 2014.  At the time of his disappearance, he was conducting research for a book he was writing and it appeared that he planned to cross the border into Pakistan in furtherance of his work.

Mark Frerichs was kidnapped in early February 2020. At the time of his kidnapping, he resided in Kabul. He moved to Afghanistan in approximately 2010 and worked on construction projects throughout the country.

More information about these reward offers is located on the Rewards for Justice website at www.rewardsforjustice.net.  We encourage anyone with information on these kidnappings to contact the Rewards for Justice office via the website or e-mail (info@rewardsforjustice.net), or contact the Regional Security Officer at the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.  Individuals may also submit information to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov. All information will be kept strictly confidential. For additional information on Paul Overby, Jr. see www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/paul-edwin-overby-jr or for information on Mark Frerichs see www.fbi.gov/wanted/kidnap/mark-randall-frerichs.

The Rewards for Justice Program is an effective law enforcement tool and is administered by the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service.  Since its inception in 1984, the program has paid in excess of $150 million to more than 100 people who provided actionable information that helped bring terrorists to justice or prevented acts of international terrorism worldwide.  Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/RFJ_USA.