New York Manhunt: Authorities Have A Potential Break In The Search For The Escaped Prisoners

The New York manhunt for the two escaped prisoners from the Clinton Correctional Facility may have received its first big break. Two sets of footprints were found at the Mobile gas station in Dannemora, New York. Dannemora is the town where the Clinton Correctional Facility is located. This information was given to CBS News by Clinton County District Attorney Andrew Wylie. Wylie would not comment if surveillance footage existed from the gas station that showed the escaped prisoners.

The Inquisitr reported yesterday that bloodhounds were brought in to aid police on their search for the fugitives. Bloodhounds were able to pick up the scent of Matt and Sweat. The New York manhunt is in the town of Cadyville, where more than 500 officers are searching. Police found food wrappers and a footprint that they believe belongs to one of the escaped prisoners.

New York State Police trooper, Jennifer Fleishman, commented on the difficulty surrounding the New York manhunt.

“They’re battling the terrain at this point… Our folks that are highly skilled in searching are still finding difficulty. There’s trees, there’s rocks.”

Police have received over 600 tips over the last week regarding the escaped prisoners. The tips are coming from as far south as Philadelphia and as far north as Vermont. Police are taking every lead seriously, even if the lead is not in New York.

Officials told CBS News senior investigative producer Pat Milton that they are hoping the escaped prisoners are starting to feel the effects of being exposed to the environment. The area of the search received some rainfall, and the two men were not prepared for surviving in the outdoors. The prisoners were expecting to be picked up after they escaped, but that never happened.

It was reported today in the Albany Times-Union that Joyce Mitchell confessed to assisting Matt and Sweat in their escape. Mitchell’s husband may have also had a role in the crime. The prisoners used power tools in order to cut through their cell wall and a steam pipe.

Larry Jeffords, the owner of Jeffords Steel and Engineering, did work at the prison. Jeffords talked with the Associated Press about the degree of difficulty that the prisoners had in escaping.

“It tells me either they are very good at what they do, with a lot of good training. Or they had very good equipment. Or somebody else cut the hole for them.”

The New York manhunt is now a week old. Investigators are getting closer to capturing the two escaped prisoners every day.

[Image via Abcnews.go.com]