Can this really be what they meant to say

A British court just convicted a 20 something for being complicit in the murder of a woman who was trying to protect her daughter during a robbery. The robbery was a gang effort, and the actual triggerman is missing. Here's what The Telegraph has to say:

However, police are still looking for James Brodie, 21, who they believe actually shot Mrs Bates, calling her a 'silly cow' as she slumped to the ground. Brodie is thought to have been responsible for a string of violent attacks at the time but has since disappeared without a trace and is feared dead.

My question is, do they really mean "feared" dead? When I hear about a child lost in the wilderness, I fear he is dead. When I hear about a little girl in Florida snatched from her bedroom, I fear she is dead. But frankly, when I hear about a man who murdered a woman in cold blood, and who is thought to "have been responsible for a string of violent attacks," I have no fear of his death, only the hope that it is so.