Law enforcement received a tip Tuesday morning that an inmate who escaped a New Orleans prison earlier this month alongside nine others was spotted in Mississippi. After an extensive search, the Adams County sheriff said the inmate is nowhere to be found.
“After hours and hours and hours searching physically and virtually, we do not believe that the suspect is in our area,” Sheriff Travis Patten told The Natchez Democrat. “That’s not to say he wasn’t here, but we are saying he is not here now.”
Antoine Massey, an accused rapist who is one of two escapees still on the run, was reported to be in the area of Providence Road in Natchez around 8:30 a.m. Multiple federal agencies, along with local and state law enforcement from both Mississippi and Louisiana, canvassed the area but called off the search Tuesday evening.
As of Sunday night, 8 of the 10 inmates who escaped on the morning of May 16 through a faulty door inside the Orleans Parish Justice Center had been captured in separate cases across Louisiana and Texas. Mississippi authorities were alerted at the time of the jailbreak to be ready in the case of escapees crossing state lines to the east.
Those who have been captured are Lenton Vanburen, Leo Tate, Jermaine Donald, Dkenan Dennis, Corey Boyd, Gary C. Price, Kendell Myles, and Robert Moody. The two at lam are Massey and convicted killer Derrick Groves.
After the escape, which included taunting graffiti in the cell where inmates escaped from, a jail maintenance worker was arrested and accused of helping the men get out. In addition, four other people have been arrested for allegedly helping the inmates once they were on the loose.
While Massey is not believed to be in Natchez, the inmate could still be in Mississippi. Potential sightings should be reported to local law enforcement or by calling Crime Stoppers at 888-442-5001.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
