New York Escaped Prisoners May Be In Mexico, Governor Says

As the marathon manhunt continues for two escaped Clinton Correctional Facility inmates, the governor of New York announced today that the two convicts may be in Mexico by now, or at least close to it.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo stated that “we don’t know if they are still in the immediate area or if they are in Mexico by now,” but also indicated that the search for the escaped prisoners is ongoing and authorities will not give up until the convicts are apprehended.

“We’re following up every lead to the best we can.”

David Sweat, 35, and Richard Matt, 48, escaped from New York’s Clinton Correctional Facility, a maximum security prison, on June 6. Since then, authorities haven’t stopped searching for them, but so far, the convicts still remain on the loose.

The escaped convicts broke out of the prison by using power tools to cut through their cells, break through a brick wall, and cut through a fence. They climbed through a manhole afterwards that placed them on an open street.

Allegedly, a prison tailor shop instructor, Joyce Mitchell, 51, helped the duo with their escape. She now faces one felony charge of promoting prison contraband and one misdemeanor charge of criminal facilitation.

Earlier last week, Clinton County District Attorney Andrew Wylie stated that the two inmates planned to head to an undisclosed location about seven hours away from the prison. Mitchell was supposed to pick them up and drive them there, but backed out at the last minute.

“They were going to meet down by the power plant, drive — I’m not going to say into the sunset, because it was after midnight and it was dark out — but they were going to drive, potentially to an area that was about seven hours away.”

Although the prisoners may have already made their way into Mexico, there is a chance they may still be in New York or in Canada. Authorities advise all residents in Dannemora, New York, and surrounding areas, to be on alert and to keep their home doors and windows locked at all times.

Franklin County Sheriff’s Department’s Sgt. Barry Cartier indicated recently that although many area residents are frightened, they’ve been extremely helpful in assisting law enforcement with the search.

“The locals have been awesome. They come around with food all the time. We’ve got too much to eat.”

Both of the escaped New York prisoners are considered armed and dangerous. Sweat was serving life in prison for shooting and killing a sheriff’s deputy, while Matt was serving a 25-years-to-life sentence for kidnapping, torturing, and killing his former 76-year-old employer.

[Photos Courtesy of the New York State Police]