NEW YORK, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- Elliot Welles, Holocaust survivor and tireless hunter of Nazis, has died at his home in New York at age 79.
Welles son, Mark told The New York Times the cause of death was a heart attack.
Welles began his quest to search out Nazi war criminals after World War II, starting with the man who killed his mother.
Until his retirement in 2003, Welles directed the B'nai B'rith Anti-Defamation League's task force on Nazi war criminals.
Welles was known for his tireless research, often scouring archives in search of witnesses and clues to the whereabouts of former Nazi criminals. He was considered one of the most influential hunters of Nazis who had settled in the United States.
Born Kurt Sauerquell in Vienna in 1927, Welles is survived by his son, his wife, a daughter and three grandchildren.
