(EVANSVILLE, Ind.) — Florence, Alabama, jail employee Vicky White has died Monday after she was apprehended along with murder suspect Casey White in Evansville, Indiana, which ended a 10-day manhunt, according to the Vanderburgh County Coroners Office.
After Inmate Casey White, 38, and Lauderdale County Assistant Director of Corrections Vicky White, 56, were spotted at a hotel, Casey White and Vicky White led police on a car chase that ended with a wreck, Indiana authorities said. Vicky White, who was driving the Cadillac, was hospitalized with “very serious” injuries from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the Vanderburgh County, Indiana, sheriff’s office.
“Can’t clarify how long they have been in Evansville … lucky we stumbled upon them today,” Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding said Monday.
He said the pursuit only lasted a few minutes.
“We got a dangerous man off the street today,” Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton said Monday during a press conference.
Casey White and Vicky White, who are not related, fled the Lauderdale County Jail on April 29.
Authorities said they believe Vicky White willingly participated in the escape, which took place on her last day before retirement.
The duo fled Alabama in a Ford Edge and ditched the car in Williamson County, Tennessee — about a two-hour drive north of Florence — just hours after the jail break.
On Monday, U.S. Marshals said investigators were in Evansville, Indiana, following up on a tip after a 2006 Ford F-150 believed to have been used by Casey White and Vicky White was found abandoned at a car wash on May 3. Police were alerted to the vehicle on Sunday.
At the time of his escape, Casey White was facing two counts of capital murder for allegedly stabbing a woman to death in 2015, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
Vicky White has been charged with forgery and identity theft for allegedly using an alias to buy the Ford Edge used to facilitate the escape, according to the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office. A warrant was also issued for Vicky White charging her with permitting or facilitating escape.
No one was injured as a result of the escape, Singleton said.
Vicky White died Monday evening at Deaconess Hospital. An autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday.
Casey White will be brought back to Lauderdale County to be arraigned, Singleton said.
“He’s not getting out of this jail again,” Singleton said. “I assure you that.”
(EVANSVILLE, Ind.) — Florence, Alabama, jail employee Vicky White and murder suspect Casey White were apprehended in Evansville, Indiana, on Monday, ending a 10-day manhunt, Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton announced.
After Inmate Casey White, 38, and Lauderdale County Assistant Director of Corrections Vicky White, 56, were spotted at a hotel, Casey White and Vicky White led police on a car chase in that ended with a wreck, Indiana authorities said. Vicky White, who was driving the Cadillac, has been hospitalized with “very serious” injuries from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the Vanderburgh County, Indiana, sheriff’s office.
“Can’t clarify how long they have been in Evansville … lucky we stumbled upon them today,” Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding said Monday.
He said the pursuit only lasted a few minutes.
“We got a dangerous man off the street today,” Singleton said.
Casey White and Vicky White, who are not related, fled the Lauderdale County Jail on April 29.
Authorities said they believe Vicky White willingly participated in the escape, which took place on her last day before retirement.
The duo fled Alabama in a Ford Edge and ditched the car in Williamson County, Tennessee — about a two-hour drive north of Florence — just hours after the jail break.
On Monday, U.S. Marshals said investigators were in Evansville, Indiana, following up on a tip after a 2006 Ford F-150 believed to have been used by Casey White and Vicky White was found abandoned at a car wash on May 3. Police were alerted to the vehicle on Sunday.
At the time of his escape, Casey White was facing two counts of capital murder for allegedly stabbing a woman to death in 2015, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
Vicky White has been charged with forgery and identity theft for allegedly using an alias to buy the Ford Edge used to facilitate the escape, according to the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office. A warrant was also issued for Vicky White charging her with permitting or facilitating escape.
No one was injured as a result of the escape, Singleton said.
The pair will be brought back to Lauderdale County to be arraigned, Singleton said.
“He’s not getting out of this jail again,” Singleton said. “I assure you that.”
ABC News’ Victoria Arancio contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — New charges have been filed against Florence, Alabama, jail employee Vicky White as she allegedly remains on the run with escaped murder suspect Casey White.
The charges — forgery and identity theft — stem from Vicky White allegedly using an alias to buy a Ford Edge used to facilitate the escape, according to the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office.
A warrant was issued earlier for Vicky White charging her with permitting or facilitating escape.
Inmate Casey White, 38, fled the Lauderdale County jail with Lauderdale County Assistant Director of Corrections Vicky White, 56, on April 29. The inmate and employee are not related.
The duo fled Alabama in the Ford Edge and ditched the car in Williamson County, Tennessee — about a two-hour drive north of Florence — just hours after thejail break.
On Monday, U.S. Marshals said investigators were in Evansville, Indiana, following up on a tip after a 2006 Ford F-150 believed to have been used by Casey White and Vicky White was found abandoned at a car wash on May 3. Police were alerted to the vehicle on Sunday.
Authorities said they believe Vicky White willingly participated in the escape, which took place on her last day before retirement.
Vicky White was seen shopping for men’s clothes at a Kohl’s before the pair went missing, Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton told ABC News.
Authorities are also concerned that Casey White could be “extremely violent” without his medication, Singleton said. The sheriff did not provide details as to what the medication is or what Casey White’s being treated for, but said the concern is due to the escapee likely not having the medication with him.
Casey White was facing two counts of capital murder for allegedly stabbing a woman to death in 2015, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
They may be armed with weapons including an AR-15 rifle and a shotgun, the U.S. Marshals Service said.
A $15,000 reward is available for information leading to Casey White’s capture. A $10,000 reward has been offered for information leading to Vicky White.
ABC News’ Victoria Arancio contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Authorities are concerned that escaped Florence, Alabama, murder suspect Casey White could be “extremely violent” without his medication, Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton told ABC News on Monday.
The sheriff did not provide details as to what the medication is or what Casey White’s being treated for, but said the concern is due to the escapee likely not having the medication with him.
Casey White, 38, fled the Lauderdale County jail with Lauderdale County Assistant Director of Corrections Vicky White, 56, on April 29. The inmate and employee are not related.
Casey White was facing two counts of capital murder for allegedly stabbing a woman to death in 2015, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
Singleton said that Vicky White was seen shopping for men’s clothes at a Kohl’s before the pair went missing.
Authorities said they believe Vicky White willingly participated in the escape, which took place on her last day before retirement.
The duo fled Alabama in a Ford Edge and ditched the car in Williamson County, Tennessee — about a two-hour drive north of Florence — just hours after the jail break.
They may be armed with weapons including an AR-15 rifle and a shotgun, the U.S. Marshals Service said.
A warrant was issued for Vicky White charging her with permitting or facilitating escape.
A $15,000 reward is available for information leading to Casey White’s capture. A $10,000 reward has been offered for information leading to Vicky White.
(NEW YORK) — A 22-year-old Michigan woman was found dead from an apparent suicide after authorities alleged she fatally shot her boyfriend and brother in what appeared to be a premeditated act of gun violence.
The body of Ruby Taverner was discovered in a wooded area in Independence Township, Michigan, near her apartment, where deputies found her brother and boyfriend dead early Sunday, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said Monday. Taverner apparently died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Bouchard said.
“It’s a terrible situation. It always seems to be magnified when you get someone who commits something horrible like that — a homicide — and then kills themselves,” Bouchard said. “You almost wonder what was the point to this whole thing? You never get any answers that satisfy those questions because, now, all parties are deceased.”
Bouchard said deputies were called to the Independence Square Apartments in Independence Township, about 16 miles north of Pontiac, after a neighbor reported being awakened by gunshots coming from Taverner’s apartment around 3:20 a.m. Sunday.
Deputies entered the apartment and discovered the bodies of Taverner’s brother, 25-year-old Bishop Taverner, in the living room and her boyfriend, 26-year-old Ray Muscat in a rear bedroom, according to a sheriff’s officials. Ruby Taverner and Muscat lived together, Bouchard said.
Both victims were pronounced dead at the scene from gunshot wounds, Bouchard said. He said Bishop Taverner was shot once in the head.
He said investigators suspect that after allegedly committing the homicides, Taverner fled the apartment on foot, leaving behind her cellphone and car.
Bouchard said detectives are trying to determine a motive for the double slaying, and a preliminary investigation indicates the killings were premeditated.
“You don’t typically find someone shot in the head one time unless they just kind of coolly and calmly walked up and did it,” Bouchard said.
Sheriff’s deputies combed the area around the apartment complex for evidence and were searching a nearby lake on Sunday, but Bouchard did not immediately say if that was where Taverner’s body was located.
He said records show Taverner had three registered firearms, including two 9mm handguns and a .38 caliber pistol. One of the weapons was legally purchased last week, according to the sheriff. Bouchard had warned local residents on Sunday that investigators suspected Taverner was armed and dangerous.
(NEW YORK) — As a leaked draft Supreme Court decision shows the court may be ready to overturn the abortion rights guaranteed under Roe v. Wade, state legislators in New York and California are looking to increase access to reproductive services, including to people coming from other states.
The draft majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization was leaked to Politico earlier this week and confirmed as authentic by Chief Justice John Roberts, who ordered an investigation into its public release.
Roberts said in a statement the document “does not represent a decision by the Court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case.”
State legislators in California have proposed a package of bills to address what they expect to be an influx in people seeking access to abortion in the state if Roe is overturned. New York lawmakers have also proposed legislation that would help people pay for abortions, even allowing taxpayers to contribute donations.
U.S. Senate Democrats, who have widely criticized the court’s apparent decision, are planning a vote on a proposed bill, the Women’s Health Protection Act, next week which would codify Roe v. Wade, making it federal law. The bill would also outlaw all abortion legislation at the state level, including legislation that was in line with Roe. But it is unlikely to become law, despite passing in the House.
With the Supreme Court decision expected over the summer, lawmakers in Canada expressed concern over how the court’s apparent decision would limit access to abortion in Canada and the U.S.
“One of the concerning factors here is that there are many Canadian women who maybe don’t live near a major city in Canada, but will often access these services in the United States,” Karina Gould, Canada’s families, children and social development minister, told the CBC. “I’m very concerned about the leak yesterday. I’m very concerned about what this means, particularly for American women, but also for Canadian women.”
Gould said American women will be able to get abortions in Canada if Roe is overturned, in the interview.
“I don’t see why we would not,” said Gould “If they, people, come here and need access, certainly, that’s a service that would be provided.”
Those seeking abortions would also be able to get access in Mexico. Last year, Mexico’s Supreme Court rule to decriminalize abortion, deeming it unconstitutional to punish abortion.
Legislation proposed in New York
The New York State Senate has proposed a bill that would establish an access fund to pay for abortions and allows taxpayers to contribute to the fund on their state income tax returns. The bill is currently with the Senate Finance Committee.
Another proposed New York bill would require insurance policies providing maternity care coverage to provide coverage for abortions. The bill, currently with the Senate Insurance Committee, cited the federal government’s “hostility toward abortion” in its justification for the state’s need to enact such a law.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul, in a letter to Congress urging it to pass the WHPA, said the state can expect an “11 to 13% increase in out-of-state patients traveling to New York for abortion care,” if Roe is overturned.
Hochul said the state is preparing to provide access to abortion care for people from out of state.
“For New York State to fully step up and be able to accommodate everyone who needs care, we need significant federal support to bolster our provider network and accommodate these new patients. Following action to repeal the Hyde Amendment, Congress must make federal funding available to states like New York that expect an influx of patients from other states,” Hochul said.
Hochul also called for federal protections that would allow the U.S. Postal Service to ship abortion medication to all states and for the expansion of telehealth services to facilitate access to abortion.
“As many states work to close off avenues to safe abortion services within their borders, the demand for abortion-inducing medications through mail and delivery services is growing. The U.S. Postal Service is a critical partner to meet the current demand, and Congress must adequately fund the postal service to ensure patients can receive prescribed medical abortion medications, regardless of their zip code,” Hochul said.
In the letter, Hochul also called for the repeal of the Hyde Amendment, which she said has “prevented federal funds from being used for abortion services, including health insurance funds that support low-income Americans.”
New York is one of only 15 states to cover abortions with state Medicaid dollars and the state has passed a law that requires health plans to cover abortion services without cost-sharing, Hochul said.
The state has also allowed abortion telehealth services and has convened an Abortion Access Working Group, which will meet regularly with patients, providers and advocates to guide state abortion policy and respond to needs.
Legislation proposed in California
In anticipation of a Supreme Court decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade, the California State Legislature introduced a package of 13 bills in January in an effort to make California a “sanctuary or a refuge for individuals seeking abortions and reproductive health care,” California assemblywoman and chair of its women’s caucus, Cristina Garcia, told ABC News in an interview.
“We introduce a package of bills and I think the idea is: that a right without access is an empty promise,” Garcia said.
When crafting the bills, legislatures relied on a report from the Future of Abortion Council, a group made up of more than 40 organizations across the state, which gave recommendations to protect and expand access to abortion in California.
According to research from the Guttmacher Institute, overturning Roe, which would allow some states to ban abortions, would increase the number of women whose nearest provider would be in California from 46,000 to 1.4 million.
“That’s an over 1,000% increase for what we see here in California. And so we really need to shore up our access here to make sure we have enough providers that could perform these services,” Garcia said.
Among the aims of the package of bills, the legislature is trying protect the privacy of providers and patients coming in from out of state and widen the number of providers able to perform the procedure and where the procedure could be performed, Garcia said.
Legislatures are doing their best to move up the timeline for when these bills would pass, she said.
“While we were being proactive in January when we introduced the bills and we’re just letting them go through the regular process, we realized that we missed something in our planning. The fact that we expect something come June — July was like, oh, we should hurry up and add urgency, where appropriate, to our bills,” Garcia said.
One bill, which has already passed, eliminates copays, deductibles and any cost-sharing requirements for abortions for all state-licensed health care service plans or disability insurance policies issued after 2022. This would apply to covered spouses and dependents, and Medi-Cal beneficiaries.
The legislature on Friday placed urgency on a bill to protect patients and providers from civil actions and financial retaliation for abortion services that are legal in California. A second bill they are also looking to add urgency to would deny out-of-state subpoenas for patient information regarding reproductive health care granted in California.
“Our goal is to get that through and passed before the end of June, and then would go into effect July 1,” Garcia said.
The California Legislative Women’s Caucus is in the process of identifying which other bills should take priority in order attempt to pass them by the June 30 deadline, she said. Those bills, with urgency, would become law by July 1, according to Garcia.
Other bills could become law as soon as next year. For a bill to go into effect in the new year, it needs to pass the legislature by Aug. 31 and be signed by the governor by Sept. 30. Some of the bills in the package may have later starting dates, according to Garcia.
The package also aims to increase access to people in marginalized groups who have access problems, including Californians.
One of the proposed bills would make Los Angeles a safe haven for abortions, regardless of residency. The bill would also establish a Los Angeles County Abortion Access Safe Haven Pilot Program, with the goal of advancing reproductive healthcare, specifically abortions, according to the bill.
Another bill would use tax dollars to set up a website that would help connect people coming from out of state with groups providing support services for those seeking abortions. The services include airfare, lodging, ground transportation, gas money, meals, dependent childcare, doula support and translation services, to help a person access and obtain an abortion, according to the bill.
“The idea is to create a public-private partnership … so that people looking to come to the state could then be connected to the different groups are already providing that network of support: to help you with the travel, to help you to ensure that you’re at a good provider, [and] that you have lodging while you’re here,” Garcia said.
State legislators from Connecticut and Washington have also reached out to Garcia for advice on implementing similar protections in their states and Garcia has been connecting those legislators with different groups that they work with in California, she said.
Anti-abortion rights groups, such as Live Action, have criticized California’s laws, one of which they said would permit abortions through all nine months of pregnancy. This includes what Live Action’s president called “death by neglect” by failing to provide medical care during the perinatal period after a child is born.
“That should not be the right of California to do. They don’t have the right to endanger children in the womb that way,” said Lila Rose, the president and founder of Live Action.
Rose also criticized California’s governor for the state’s move to help pay for abortions.
“It’s really disgusting what [Governor] Gavin Newsom in California is doing announcing that California is actually going to pay for people to come to our state to have abortions, literally making it an abortion tourism state,” Rose said.
She added, “the solution or the response should be we need to work to help women and help children so that they can live as opposed to we’re going to encourage them to literally travel to kill their children or have their children be killed.”
(NEW YORK) — The mother of Gabby Petito has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the estate of Brian Laundrie in the latest legal action stemming from the homicide.
The lawsuit, filed in Florida on Friday, claims that Laundrie intentionally killed the 22-year-old travel blogger, and as a direct result of his conduct, Petito’s mother and father — Nicole Schmidt and Joseph Petito — “incurred funeral and burial expenses, and they have suffered a loss of care and comfort, and suffered a loss of probable future companionship, society and comfort.”
The complaint was filed by Schmidt, the administrator of Petito’s estate, against Barry Spivey, identified in the suit as the court-appointed curator of Laundrie’s estate.
Schmidt is seeking damages in excess of $30,000 and is demanding a trial by jury. ABC News has reached out to Spivey for comment.
This is the latest lawsuit involving the death of Petito, who disappeared last year while on a road trip with Laundrie, her fiance.
In a civil lawsuit filed in Florida in March against Laundrie’s parents, Petito’s parents alleged that Laundrie told his parents he had killed Petito before he returned home alone from their trip and that his parents were trying to help him flee.
Petito’s parents are seeking damages in excess of $30,000 in that complaint.
Attorneys for the Laundries denied the allegations and sought to dismiss the lawsuit. A jury trial in the case is scheduled to begin in August 2023.
Petito went missing in late August while on a trip through Colorado and Utah. Laundrie returned home to Florida on Sept. 1, investigators said.
Two weeks later, Laundrie was named a person of interest in Petito’s disappearance before he was reported missing on Sept. 17.
On Sept. 19, search crews discovered a body in Bridger-Teton National Park in Wyoming that was later determined to be Petito’s. An autopsy found she died from strangulation, officials said.
Search crews combed the Florida wetlands where Laundrie was last seen and found his remains in Carlton Reserve, near North Port, on Oct. 20.
(NEW YORK) — Although COVID-19 infection and hospitalizations rates have been steadily on the rise across the United States, nowhere have the increases been more significant than in the Northeast.
Across the New England and greater New York and New Jersey regions, infection rates are nearing their highest levels in three months. COVID-19 related hospitalizations are increasing too — with daily admissions levels more than doubling in the last month.
Overnight, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its community risk levels, pushing many counties across the Northeast, particularly in New York and Massachusetts, to the “high” alert level. The “high” community level suggests there is a “high potential for healthcare system strain” and a “high level of severe disease”, and thus, the CDC recommends that people wear a mask in public indoor settings, including schools.
“If we were still using the original CDC COVID-19 risk classification, the northeast would be bright red, indicating uncontrolled community spread. This part of the country has some of the highest vaccination and booster rates, yet infections are still increasing,” Dr. Maureen Miller, professor of epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, told ABC News.
Although Manhattan and the rest of New York City are still considered “medium” risk, transmission rates have increased by nearly 33% in the last 10 days. Much of upstate New York is also now colored in orange for “high” risk.
Suffolk County, home to the city of Boston, as well as six other surrounding counties in Massachusetts are also now considered communities at “high” risk. Across the greater Boston area, wastewater levels are at their highest point since early February, with 20 to 29 year-old residents reporting the highest numbers of infections.
In many areas of Vermont and Maine, community levels have also reached the high or medium risk threshold, data shows. And across the region, six Northeast states — Maine, Rhode Island, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey — have the highest number of new cases, per capita, over the last week, of all 50 states.
“I do think that the wave we’re seeing is a real one, and probably much bigger than we appreciate. Since most cases of COVID-19 are not being reported — because people are testing at home or not at all — I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that the number of daily infections now is higher than during delta, maybe even winter 2020-21,” David Dowdy, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told ABC News.
Health experts say the increases are driven by a confluence of factors, including the easing of masking requirements and other COVID-19 restrictions, as well as highly contagious omicron subvariants, most notably, BA.1.12.1. The subvariant is projected to account for about 36.5% of cases nationwide and 62% of infections in the New York-New Jersey region. BA.1.12.1 is estimated to be between 30% and 80% more transmissible than the original omicron strain.
“It is becoming clear that the latest version of omicron BA.2 and its offspring BA2.12.1 can evade immunity developed as a result of an original omicron infection. Vaccination for those who were infected–even with omicron–is still highly recommended to prevent the severe outcomes experienced primarily by the unvaccinated,” Miller said. “The big game changer in how this wave plays out is human behavior. There is now a huge body of evidence that proves that mask wearing helps slow the spread of COVID-19… I wear a mask every time I enter an indoor public place, from the supermarket to an airplane. Life can go on, but you need to be smart about it.”
Amid looming questions surrounding a potential return of mask and vaccine mandates, New York City Mayor Adams said Friday that officials are closely monitoring the increases, reiterating that the city will be ready to “pivot and shift” should reinstating mitigation measures be deemed necessary.
“We can’t control what this virus is doing. But we can control our response and we’re doing that,” Adams said Friday during an on-camera press conference. “Yes, we are concerned [about the numbers]. Yes, we are. But preparation, not panic, preparation, not panic. We are prepared as the city and we’re not going to panic.”
When asked whether the city would consider reinstating its mask mandate for K-12 schools and proof of vaccination requirement, Adams insisted that the city is “not there yet.”
“We’re going to pivot and shift like COVID pivots and shifts. Every morning we meet, and based on that outcome of our meetings, we’ll making an announcement where we’re going to go, if this stays at this level, we may pivot and shift and still do mandates, and we see an increase in hospitalization and deaths, that is alarming, we may shift. COVID pivots and shifts, I’m going to pivot and shift,” Adams reiterated. “No matter what happens, we’re going to make a determination after we have our morning meetings.”
Adams lauded the city’s high vaccination and booster rates, as well as access to at-home tests, which he said is helping to prevent a significant surge in hospitalizations and deaths.
Earlier this week, New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan told CNBC that if infections and hospitalizations continue to rise, masking and vaccination requirements certainly could return.
“It’s clear that if we moved into a high risk and high alert environment, we’d be seriously considering bringing those mandates back,” Vasan said on Tuesday.
(FLORENCE, Ala.) — The car linked to escaped Florence, Alabama, inmate Casey White and jail employee Vicky White was ditched in Williamson County, Tennessee, just hours after the jail break, the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office said.
Authorities first spotted the car around 3 p.m. CT on April 29 — hours after the escape — and it wasn’t until Thursday night that the car was connected to the Whites, sheriff’s office spokeswoman Sharon Puckett told ABC News.
There’s no sign that murder suspect Casey White, 38, and Lauderdale County Assistant Director of Corrections Vicky White, 56, are still in the area of Williamson County, which is about a two-hour drive north of Florence, the sheriff’s office added.
The vehicle used by escaped Alabama inmate Casey White and former Correctional Officer Vicky White has been located in Williamson Co in Bethesda. There is NO sign the two are still in our area. The SUV was reported abandoned a week ago. It was identified last night @WCSO_Sheriffpic.twitter.com/LPa1IWE80x
Authorities with the U.S. Marshals Service searched the area Friday morning but found nothing to indicate that the pair was still in Williamson County, Puckett said.
“We don’t believe they’re anywhere near us,” she said.
However, authorities are still canvassing the area for any witnesses and are looking into whether any cars were reported stolen around the time the Whites’ car was ditched, Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton said at a news conference Friday.
Nothing was left behind in the car, the sheriff said.
Vicky White withdrew approximately $90,000 in cash from multiple banks before allegedly fleeing, Lauderdale County, Alabama, District Attorney Chris Connolly told ABC News. He said the banks were local to the Lauderdale County area, but he could not say when she withdrew the money.
On April 18 — just days before she allegedly fled with inmate Casey White — Vicky White closed on the sale of her home for just over $95,000. Singleton has said that investigators suspect Vicky White is “flush” with cash from the sale.
It’s now been one week since Casey White and Vicky White went missing. The two are not related.
Authorities said they believe Vicky White willingly participated in the April 29 escape from the Lauderdale County jail.
The pair “may be armed with an AR-15 rifle, handguns and a shotgun,” the U.S. Marshals Service said.
There’s no indication anyone else was involved in the escape, the sheriff said.
Vicky White and Casey White disappeared after Vicky White allegedly told her colleagues that she was taking Casey White to the Lauderdale County Courthouse for a “mental health evaluation,” the sheriff said. He didn’t have a court appearance scheduled, Singleton said.
Vicky White also allegedly told her colleagues that she was going to seek medical attention after dropping the inmate off at court because she wasn’t feeling well, but Singleton said his office confirmed that no appointment was made.
Singleton said Friday that his message to Vicky White is: “Hopefully we find you safe.”
Singleton has described Vicky White, a 17-year veteran of the department, as “an exemplary employee” until now.
Vicky White has submitted her retirement papers and the day of the escape was her last day, the sheriff said.
At the time of his escape, Casey White was facing two counts of capital murder for the stabbing Connie Ridgeway in 2015, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
Casey White was described by authorities as 6 feet, 9 inches tall and approximately 330 pounds, with brown hair, hazel eyes and numerous tattoos, “including some affiliated with the Alabama-based white supremacist prison gang Southern Brotherhood,” the U.S. Marshals Service said.
Vicky White was described by authorities as 5 feet, 5 inches tall and approximately 145 pounds, with brown eyes and blond hair, though the U.S. Marshals Service said Thursday that she may have tinted her hair a darker shade. She was also described as reportedly having a “waddling gait.”
The USMS has put together two example images to identify the height differentiation between Casey White and Vicky White in relation to each other as well as the vehicle they are believed to be driving. pic.twitter.com/AAzKrfU934
The U.S. Marshals Service is offering up to $10,000 reward for information leading to Casey White’s capture and a $5,000 reward for information leading to Vicky White. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey has offered a $5,000 reward each for information leading to the apprehension of either individual.
A warrant was issued for Vicky White charging her with permitting or facilitating escape.
ABC News’ Whitney Lloyd and Will McDuffie contributed to this report.
