(CNN) — In their search for a missing former jailer and an inmate facing murder charges, authorities announced a discovery key on Friday: They located the car they believed the couple was traveling in.
The car it had been in a Tennessee towing lot for regarding a week, following local officials found it abandoned in the woods and without any identifying information last Friday, the same day the pair went missing, and towed it away.
It means the two drove regarding two hours north to Williamson County, Tennessee, following disappearing from a county jail in Florence, Alabama, Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton said during a news conference Friday. .
But authorities know little regarding what came following that.
“Now we know where the car is, we know which way they went,” the sheriff said. “We’re trying to canvass the area for witnesses, also trying to investigate, see if there were any reported stolen vehicles in that area during that time.”
Vicky White, 56, and Casey White, 38, have been missing for more than a week
Authorities believe the vehicle may have had mechanical problems that caused it to stop abruptly in the area. But the sheriff said investigators still don’t know if the couple stole another vehicle or if someone else drove them and where they went.
“We’re kind of back to square one,” he said. “After Friday followingnoon, when they abandoned that car, which way they went from there, we don’t know.”
There appeared to be an attempt to spray paint the orange Ford vehicle that authorities found, the sheriff said.
Vicky White, 56, and Casey White, 38, have been missing for more than a week. The two, who authorities say may have had a romantic relationship, are not related.
Prison officer using aliases
Vicky White, who was deputy director of corrections for Lauderdale County, released Casey White from the county jail Friday morning, saying she would take him in for a mental health evaluation.
She said that she was going to get medical attention following leaving the inmate because she was not feeling well.
The two have not been seen since. The patrol car that the officer and the inmate took out of jail was found abandoned in a shopping center parking lot. Authorities believe the couple left the lot in a different vehicle: the 2007 Ford SUV that Vicky White purchased and parked there the night before, Singleton previously said.
The couple had known each other since at least 2020 and had developed a romantic relationship, the sheriff told CNN earlier this week.
Prior to her disappearance, Vicky White had announced plans to retire and sold her home for well below market value.
He now has an active warrant for his arrest for allegedly allowing or facilitating flight in the first degree. She is no longer an employee of the sheriff’s office, the office said, adding that although Friday was her last day of work, her paperwork was never finalized. Her jail keys, radio and handcuffs were found inside the abandoned truck.
Investigators believe Vicky White had a large amount of money when the couple disappeared, Singleton said Friday, adding that authorities are working to find out more details.
A photographic rendering from the US Marshals Service showed what Vicky White would look like with darker hair.
“His knowledge of corrections and his knowledge of the procedures that we use here at the sheriff’s office definitely played to his advantage. I think this was a very well thought out plan,” Singleton said during Friday’s news conference.
“His knowledge left us… lost,” the sheriff added. “It’s a very calculated plan.”
Vicky White has also used aliases, the sheriff added, including to purchase the vehicle. “I guess she probably got rid of those aliases and now she’s probably got some new identities.”
Officials share photos and rewards
The pair must be considered dangerous and may be armed with weapons including an AR-15 rifle, handguns and a shotgun, the US Marshals Service said.
The agency said Casey White threatened his ex-girlfriend and her sister in 2015 if he ever came out, “he would kill them and he wanted the police to kill him.” Authorities warned the inmate’s “potential targets” and took steps to protect them, the Marshals Service said.
The service also posted several photos of Casey White and her tattoos, as well as photographic depictions of what Vicky White, who was blonde when she disappeared, would have looked like with darker and shorter hair.
A US Marshals Service photo rendering showed what Vicky White would look like with darker hair.
The agency is offering up to $10,000 for information leading to the inmate’s capture and up to $5,000 for the jailer.
On Friday, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey announced additional rewards of $5,000 each for information leading to the capture and arrest of Vicky White and Casey White.
Asked Friday what he would say to Vicky White if she might hear him, the sheriff said: “You know we’re going to find you. Hopefully we find you safe.”
“If you’re safe right now, still safe, get out while you can and turn yourself in to local authorities, wherever you are,” Singleton said.
CNN’s Ryan Young, Chuck Johnston and Jaide Timm-Garcia contributed to this report.
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