2010-06-02 09:11

This May 18, 2010, security photo provided by the FBI on Tuesday June 1, 2010, shows a man the FBI has named the 'Granddad Bandit,' in St. Louis county, holding a black billfold with a holdup note. The bald, heavyset man who has robbed 21 banks in the eastern and central US is believed to be 50 to 60 years old. [Agencies]

ST. LOUIS -- A bald, heavyset man who the FBI says has robbed 21 banks in the eastern and central US is proving to be so elusive that the agency has given him a name, the "Granddad Bandit."

The FBI announced plans Tuesday to post a picture of him on billboards in hopes of catching him.

The man is believed to be 50 to 60 years old. The FBI describes him as about 6 feet tall (1.8 meters), bald and heavy. He is wanted in 12 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Florida, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee and Virginia.

Though the man has been dubbed the "Granddad Bandit," not much is known about him. The FBI says it typically assigns a name to serial bank robbers to give the public a reference point.